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5 



PRINCIPLES 



OF THE 



INTERIOR OR HIDDEN LIFE; 



DESIGNED 



PARTICULARLY FOU THE CONSIDERATION OF THOSE 

WHO ARE SEEKING ASSURANCE OF FAITH 

AND PERFECT LOVE, 



BY 

THOMAS C. UPHAM 



EIGHTH EDITION 




NEW YORK: 

HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, 
329 & 331 PEARL STREET, 

FRANKLIN SQUARE. 
185 9. 









Ejit^ied according to Act of Congress, in the year 1843. 

By T. C. Upham, 

in Die District Clerk's Office of the Court of Maino 



JO 

CO 



5: 



It is the object of the present work to aid in promoting 
floly Living. It will be noticed that the principles of the 
work take for granted, and every where imply, that man 
ought to be, and may be, holy. Holiness is the one great 
thing for which, above all others, man should live. It has 
been my desire, in the following pages, (some of which have 
already appeared in a periodical publication,) to promote this 
great result. 

There are reasons, of a personal nature, why I should not 
have written. There are other reasons, which none can 
appreciate but myself, which seemed to me imperatively to 
require it. If what is said is true, nothing but good can 
ultimately flow from it. If if bo otherwise, it :'s my earnest 
supplication that He, who can bring good out of evil, will 
overrule the mistakes of human infirmity, to the glory of Ilia 
own name. 

U. 



CONTENTS. 



PART I 



ON THE INWARD LIFE IN ITS CONNECTION WITH 

FAITH AND LOVE. 

Chap Pi as 

1. Some Marks or Traits of the Hidden Life, ...11 

2. On the Doctrine of Holiness, 17 

3. Directions to aid in the Attainment of Holiness, 25 

4. On the Act or Covenant of religious Consecration, 34 

5. On Faith, especially appropriating Faith, 41 

6. Consecration to be followed by the Faith of Acceptance,.... 48 

7. Of Assurance of Faith, 56 

8. Relation of Consecration to Assurance of Faith, 74 

0. Relation of Assurance of Faith and perfect Love, 81 

10. Considerations on the Life of Faith, 88 

11. Of a Life of special Signs and Manifestations, as compared 

with a Life of Faith, 96 

12 Of disinterested or pure Love, in Distinction from interested 

Love, 110 

13. On the Love of our Neighbor and of Ourselves, 119 

14. On the Distinction between Love and Joy, 125 

15. On the Distinction between natural and spiritual Joy, 131 

16. On the Nature and Relations of emotional Experience, 138 

17. Some Marks or Characteristics of Perfection of Love, 145 

18. On the Joy of Faith in the Want and Desolation of all 

Things else, 154 

19. On the Nature of the Temptations of a sanctified Heart,... 157 



CONTENTS. 



PART II. 

THE LIFE OF FAITH AND LOVE FOLLOWED BY THE CRUCIFIXION 

OF THE LIFE OF NATURE. 
Chap. Page. 

1. On the Distinction between Justification and Sanctification, 160 

2. Remarks on unrestrained and inordinate Desires, 17G 

3. On the proper Regulation of the Appetites, 179 

4. On the Nature and Regulation of the propensive Principles, 183 
On the Regulation of the Principle of Self-Love, 187 

>n the Nature and Regulation of the social Principle, 192 

♦ to the Nature and Regulation of the Principle of Curi- 

-«ity , 197 

«i the Grace of Silence as the Means of sustaining a holy 

Life, 202 

9. On the Nature and Regulation of the Affections, 209 

10. Of the Excision and Crucifixion of the natural Life, 213 

11. On the Necessity of possessing the Gifts and Graces of God 

in Purity of Spirit, 228 

12. Remarks on interior Trials and Desolations, 233 

13. Of the now Life in the Image of Christ, 240 

'14. On the true Idea of spiritual Liberty, 258 

15. On Growth in Holiness, 267 

16. On the Confession of Sin, 274 



PART III. 



ON INWARD DIVINE GUIDANCE. 



1. On the Dispensation of the Holy Ghost, 283 

2. The Providences of God considered as Interpreters of the 

inward Operations of the Holy Spirit, 290 

3. Suggestions to aid in securing the Guidance of the Holy 

Spirit, 297 

4 Distinction between Impulses and a sanctified Judgment,. ..302 



C0N1ENTS. 7 

Ihan Page. 

5. On spiritual Cooperation with God, , 312 

6. Evidences of being guided by the Holy Spirit, 319 

7. On the State of inward Recollection, 327 

8. On the inward Utterance, or the Voice of God in the 

Soul, 336 

9. Spiritual Bread, or the Doctrine of receiving by Faith, ....342 

10. On the Principle of inward Quietude or Stillness, 351 

11. Additional Remarks on the State of interior Stillness, 358 

12. On the true Idea of interior Annihilation or Nothingness, .. 362 

13. On the State of Union with God, 370 

1 4. On Varieties of Christian Character, 380 



RELIGIOUS MAXIMS, . 385 



PART FIRST. 



ON THE INWARD LIFE 



CONNECTION WITH FAITH AND LOVE 



11 



CHAPTER FIRST. 

SOME MARKS OR TRAITS OF THE HIDDEN LIFE 

There is a modification or form of religious expe 
rience which may conveniently, and probably with a 
considerable degree of propriety, be denominated the 
Interior or Hidden Life. When a person first becomes 
distinctly conscious of his sinfulness, and, in connection 
with this experience, exercises faith in Christ as a Savior 
from sin, there is no doubt, however feeble these early 
exercises may be, that he has truly entered upon a new 
life. But this new life^ although it is in its element dif- 
ferent from that of the world, is only in its beginning. 
It embraces, undoubtedly, the true principle of a restored 
and renovated existence, which in due time will expand 
itself into heights and depths of knowledge and of 
feeling ; but it is now only in a state of incipiency, main- 
taining, and oftentimes but feebly maintaining, a war 
with the anterior or natural life, and being nothing more 
at present than the early rays and dawnings of the 
brighter day that is coming. 

It is not so with what may be conveniently denomi- 1 
nated the Hidden Life — a form of expression which we 
Imploy to indicate a degree of Christian experience 
greatly in advance of that which so often lingers darkly 
and doubtfully at the threshold of the Christian's career.; 
As the Hidden Life, as we now employ the expression, 
indicates a greatly-advanced state of religious feeling, 
resulting in a sacred and intimate union with the Infi- 
nite Mind, we may perhaps regard the Psalmist, who had 
a large share of this interior experience, as making an 
indistinct allusion to it when he says, u Thou art my 



12 SOME MARKS OR TRAITS 

hiding place, and my shield." And again, "He tha* 
dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall 
abide under the shadow of the Almighty." The apostle 
Paul also may be regarded as making some allusion to 
this more advanced and matured condition of the 
religious life, when, in the Epistle to the Galatians, he 
says, "I am crucified with Christ ; nevertheless I live, 
*et not I, but Christ liveth in me." And again, 
addressing the Colossians, " Set your affections on things 
above, not on things on the earth ; for ye are dead, and 
vodr life is hid with Christ in God." And does not 
the Savior himself sometimes recognize the existence of 
an Interior or Hidden Life, unknown to the world, and 
unknown, to a considerable extent, even to many that 
are denominated Christians, but who are yet in the be- 
ginning of their Christian career ? " He that hath an ear, 
let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. 
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden 
manna, and I will give him a white stone, and in the 
stone a new name written, which no man knowcth, save 
he tJiat receiveth it." 

The phrase Hidden Life, which is appropriately and 
peculiarly the life of all those who, advancing beyond 
the fust elements of Christianity, may properly be said to 
be sanctified in Christ Jesus, indicates a vitality or living 
principle, which dilfers in various particulars from every 
other form of life. 

In the first place, the life of those, who dwell in the 
secret place of the Most High, may be called a Hidden 
Life, because the animating principle, the vital or opera- 
tive element, is not so much in itself as in another. It 
is a life grafted into another life. It is the life of the 
soul incorporated into the life of Christ ; and in such a 
way, that, while it has a distinct vitality, it has so very 
much in the sense in which the branch of a tree may be 
said to have a distinct vitality from the root. It buds, 
blossoms, and bears fruit, in the strong basis of an eternal 
stock. f< I am the vine," 6ays the Savior, " ye are the 
branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the sam6 



OF THE HIDDEN LIFE. lb 

bringeth forth much fruit ; for without me ye can do 
nothing." This is a great mystery, but it is also a great 
truth. The Christian, whose " life is hid with Christ in* 
God," can never doubt that his spiritual existence and 
growth originate in, and are sustained in, that divine 
source alone. 

In the second place, the life which we are considering 
may properly be called a Hidden Life, because its moving 
principles, its interior and powerful springs of action, are 
not known to the world. This is what might naturally 
be expected from what has already been said in respect to 
the relation existing between a truly devoted Christian 
and his Savior ; inasmuch as he is taken from himself, 
and is grafted into another, and has now become a " new 
man in Christ Jesus." The natural man can appreciate 
the natural man. The man of the world can appreciate 
the man of the world. And it must be admitted that he 
can appreciate, to a considerable extent, numbers of per- 
sons who profess to be Christians, and who are probably 
to be regarded as such in the ordinary sense of the term, 
because the natural life still remains in them in part. 
There is such a mixture of worldly and religious motives 
in the ordinary forms of the religious state, such an im- 
pregnation of what is gracious with what is natural, that 
the men of the world can undoubtedly form an approxi- 
mated if not a positive estimate of the principles which 
regulate the conduct of its possessors. But of the springs' 
of movement in the purified or Hidden Life, except by 
dark and uncertain conjecture, they know comparatively* 
nothing. Little can the men who, under the teachings' 
of nature, have been trained up to the reception and love 
of the doctrine which inculcates " an eye for an eye and 
a tooth for a tooth," appreciate the evangelical precept 
which requires us, when we are assaulted, " to turn the 
other cheek." Still feebler and more imperfect is the 
idea which they form of that ennobling Christian philos- 
ophy which inculcates the love of holiness for holiness' 
sake. They are entirely at a loss, and, on any principles 
with which they are at present acquainted, they ever 



1*1 SOME MARKS OR TRAITS 

must be at a loss, in their estimate of that intimacy and 
sacredness of friendship, which exists between God and 

^the sanctified mind. Rightly is it said in the Scriptures, 
"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the 
Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him ; neither 
can he know them, because they are spiritually dis 

'_rcrned." 

;ain. the Hidden Life has a claim to the descriptive 
epithet which we have proposed to apply to it, because, 
in its results upon individual minds, it is directly the 
reverse of the life of the world. The natural life seeks 
notoriety. Desirous of human applause, it aims to clothe 
itself in purple and fine linen. It covets a position in the 
market-place and at the corners of the streets. It loves 
to be called Rabbi. But the life of God in the soul, oc- 
cupied with a divine companionship, avoids all unneces- 
familiarities with men. It pursues a lowly and 
retired course. It obeys the precept of the Savior, 

(• When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and pray to 
hy Father, who seetli in secret." It neither desires to 
see nor to be seen openly, except when and where duty 
calls it. It is willing to be little, to be unhonored, and 
to be cast out from among men. It has no eye for 
worldly pomp, no ear for worldly applause. It is formed 
on the model of the Savior, who was a man unknown. 
He came into the w r orld, the highest personage on the 
highest errand; and yet so humble in origin, so simple 
in appearance, so gentle in heart and manners, that the 
world could not comprehend him ; and he was ever a 
sealed book, except to those who had the key of the 
inner life to open it with. 

In close connection with what has been said, we may 
remark further, that the Hidden Life of religion is nol 
identical with the place and with the formalities and ob 
servances of religion ; nor is it necessarily dependent 
upon them. If it were so, it would no longer be hidden, 
but would be as much exposed to notice as that which 
is most expansive and attractive in the outward temple 
and in the extornal formality. It is true that places of 



OF THE HIDDEN LIFE. 



worship, and the various outward formalities of worship, 
may be its handmaids, and oftentimes very important 
ones ; but they are not its essence. It has no essence 
but its own spiritual nature, and no true locality but the 
soul, which it sanctifies. It may be found, therefore, 
among all classes of men, and consequently in all places, 
occupying equally the purple of the king and the rags of 
a beggar ; prostrating itself at the altar of the cathedral, 
or offering its prayer in the humble conventicle m the 
wilderness ; like the wind that bloweth where it listeth, 
and " ye know not whence it comethnor whither it go 
eth." And therefore, being what the Savior has denom 
inated it, " the kingdom of God within you," and es- 
sentially independent of outward circumstances, it pos- 
sesses a perpetual vitality. 

In the most disastrous periods of the church, there 
have always been some (a seven thousand perhaps) who 
have not bowed the knee to Baal. Ministers may have 
become corrupt j churches may have been infected with 
unholy leaven ; the rich and the learned may have been 
unanimous in their rejection of every thing except the 
mere superficialities of religion • and yet it will be found 
that God, who values the blood of his beloved Son too 
highly to let it remain inoperative, has raised his altar in 
individual hearts. In the dwellings of the poor, in soli- 
tary places, in the recesses of valleys and mountains, he 
has written his name upon regenerated minds ; and the 
incense of their adoration, remote from public notice, has 
gone silently up to heaven. 

These are general views and remarks, which will per- 
haps be better understood in the result. We do not 
think it necessary to dwell upon them longer at present. 
In conclusion, we would say, however, that the true 
Hidden Life has its principles — principles of origin and 
principles of perpetuity. The popular Christianity, that 
which exists in great numbers of the professed followers 
of Christ, has sometimes seemed, to those who have 
looked into its nature, to be a sort of chaos, entirely ir- 
regular and confused, " without form, and void." The 



16 SOME MARKS OR TRAITS OF THE HIDDEN LIFE 

measurement, and almost the only measurement, £ its 
vitality is excitation, temporary emotion. It is driven 
downward and upward, backward, forward, and trans- 
versely, by the blind impulse of emotional power ; so 
that if we seek it here, supposing it has a fixed principle 
of movement which will help to designate where it is, it 
is gone somewhere else ; and if we seek it somewhere 
else, it has already altered its position. The true Hid- 
den Life, refusing to be characterized by the fatal mark 
of inconstancy, has cast anchor in God ; and its princi- 
ples are the strong cable which holds it there. This is 
one thing which, if we estimate the subject correctly, 
the church of God are called upon to learn more fully ; 
viz., that the true life of God in the soul has its princi- 
ples — principles founded in wisdom ; principles fixed 
and indexible. 

God never made a stone, an herb, a blade of grass, or 
any natural thing, however insignificant, nor does he 
sustain it for a moment, without a principle of action. 
It is impossible for God to operate accidentally. What- 
ever he does, he does by principle. And if this is true 
in natural things, it is equally so in spiritual things. 
God did not make, and does not sustain, the soul by ac- 
cident. Nor does he raise it from its fallen condition, 
rekindle within it a renovated life, and bear it onward 
to present and eternal victory, by a fortuitous aid, an ac- 
cidental fatality. The new life in the soul, therefore, 
has its laws of beginning and progress, as well as every 
other form of life. 



17 



CHAPTER SECOND. 



ON THE DOCTRINE OF HOLINESS. 



Having in the preceding chapter given some general 
idea of the Interior or Hidden Life, the important in- 
quiry naturally suggests itself, In what way shall we 
gain admission into this desirable state? The gospel 
evidently contemplates, in the case of every individual, a 
progress from the incipient condition of mere forgiveness 
and acceptance, immensely important as it is, to the 
higher state of interior renovation and sanctification 
throughout. The apostle appears to have reference to 
this onward progress of the soul in the expressions he, 
employs in the commencement of the sixth chapter oil 
the Epistle to the Hebrews. " Therefore, leaving the) 
principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on untoj 
perfection; not laying again the foundation of repent- 1 
ance from dead works and of faith towards God ; of the 
doctrine of baptism and of laying on of hands, and ol 
resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And 
this will we do, if God permit." What direction, then 
shall we take ? What course shall we pursue, that we 
may rise above the merely initiatory principles and feel- 
ings of the gospel life, and enjoy the delightful privilege 
of walking in close and uninterrupted communion with 
God ? In answer to this general inquiry, we remark, that 
the first and indispensable prerequisite is holiness of 
heart. It is generally supposed, that God may exhibit 
pity and pardon to those in whom there still exist some 
relics and stains of inward corruption j in other words, 
that those may be forgiven or pardoned, who are not 
entirely sanctified. But those who would walk accept- 



18 ON THE DOCTRINE 

ably with their Maker, who would receive from him hit 
secret communications, and enjoy the hidden embraces 
of his iove, must see to it, first of all, that they are pure 
in heart ; that they have a present, as well as a prospec- 
tive salvation ; in other words, that they are holy. 

We are aware, that, in the view of some, this condi- 
tion of realizing the full life of God in the soul is an im- 
practicable one. They regard holiness in this life as a 
thing unattainable ; or, what seems to me to be practi- 
cally the same view, as a thing never attained. The 
persons to whom we now allude seem to look upon 
holiness as a sort of intangible abstraction, as something 
placed high and remotely in the distance ; as designed to 
be realized by angels and by the just made perfect in 
heaven, but situated far beyond mere human acquisition. 
Hence it is that, followed and scourged by an inward 
condemnation, they remain in the condition of servants, 
and do not cheerfully and boldly take that of sons. 
They wander about, oftentimes led captive by Satan, in 
the low grounds of the gospel life, amid marshes and 
tangled forests ; and do not ascend into the pleasant hills, 
and that emblematical "land of Beulah," where are 
spicy breezes and perpetual sunshine. 

In this state of things, it will be readily seen that it is 
necessary to delay a short time here. It becomes a very 
important inquiry, whether holiness, in any strict and 
proper sense of that term, is something attainable in the 
present life. Among other reasons, it is important to be 
able to answer properly this question, because, unless we 
believe in the attainableness of holiness, we shall not be 
likely — such are the laws of the human mind — to attain 
it. Perhaps we may say, that without this belief it will 
be impossible to attain it. And without holiness, with- 
out a heart thoroughly purified from the stains of volun- 
tary transgression, we may be assured that we shall not 
enter into the secrets of the Most High ; the Hidden 
Life will be hidden to us ; and there will be many things 
jn the Christian's privileges, more precious than rubies, 
which will never, in the present state of being, come 
within the range of our experience. 



OF HOLINESS. 19 

But before we can decide whether 1 oliness is attain- 
able, we must endeavor to form some definite conception 
of its nature. And here it may be proper to remark, that 
we are obliged to travel over ground which has already 
been repeatedly occupied by former writers. We shall, 
therefore, be as concise as will be at all consistent with 
giving any thing like a correct idea of the subject. 

First. And in the first place, we proceed to remark, 
that the holiness which Christ requires in his people, 
and which, in order to distinguish it from Adamic per- 
fection, is sometimes designated as evangelical or gospel 
holiness, does not necessarily imply a perfection of the 
physical system. Adam, before his fall, was a perfect 
man, physically as well as mentally. His senses were 
sound ; his limbs symmetrical : his muscular powers 
uninjured; and in all merely corporeal or physical re- 
spects, we may reasonably suppose, that he possessed all 
that could be desired. But this is not our present con- 
dition. Far from it. In consequence of the fall of 
Adam, we inherit bodies that are subject to various 
weaknesses and infirmities. Many are called, in the 
providence of God, to endure a great degree of suffering 
through the whole course of their days. These weak- 
nesses and infirmities, which are often the source of 
great perplexity and suffering, are natural to us. To a 
considerable extent, at least, we cannot prevent their 
coming ; nor, when they have come, can we, by any 
mere voluntary acts, send them away. We admit, 
therefore, if gospel holiness necessarily implies physical 
perfection, that none can be holy. But this is not the. 
case. 

Second. We remark, in the second place, that evan- 
gelical or gospel holiness does not necessarily imply a 
perfection of the intellect, either in its perceptive or in 
its comparing and judging powers. The perfection of 
the intellectual action depends in part on the perfection 
of physical action ; on the perfection, for instance, of 
the organs of sense — the organs of the sight, hearing, and 
ouch. But in our present fallen condition, it is well 



20 ON THE DOCTRINE 

known that these and other physical instrumentalities, 
which have a greater or less connection with the men- 
tal action, are greatly disordered. And the natural and 
necessary consequence of this state of things will be a 
degree of perplexity and obscurity in such mental ac- 
tion. And such is the connection of the powers of the 
mind, one with another, that an erroneous action in one 
part of the mind will be likely to lay the foundation for 
a degree of erroneous action in some other part. Hence, 
in the present life, a perfect knowledge of things, either 
in themselves or in their relations, may be regarded in 
the light of a physical impossibility. And such perfect 
knowledge, in which there is not the least possible mis- 
take or error, does not appear to be required of us in the 
gospel, as a necessary condition of holiness and of ac 
ceptance with God. 

It may be added here, that in this respect also out 
condition appears to differ from that of our first parent. 
Adam, it is true, did not possess omniscience, but 
within the range of his perceptive powers he was not 
subject to error. So far as God permitted him to know 
\t all, he knew correctly. So that, relatively to the 
sphere of his ability and action, he was as perfect intel- 
lectually as he was corporeally and physically. 

Thwd. In the third place, there is ground for saying, 
that the holiness which, in accordance with the princi- 
ples of the gospel, is required to be exercised in the 
present life, differs in some respects from the holiness or 
sanctincation of a future life. It is important to add, 
however, that it does not differ in its nature, but only 
in some of its accessories or incidents. In its nature, 
holiness ever will be and ever must be the same ; but 
it may differ in some of the attendant circumstances or 
incidents under which it exists. One of the particulars, 
of an accessory or incidental character, in which the 
holiness of the future life may be regarded as differing 
from that of the present, is, that it is not liable, by any 
possibility whatever, to any interruption or suspension. 
No physical infirmity, no weariness or perplexity, of 



OF HOLINESS. 21 

body or of mind, nothing will ever, even for a moment, 
either vitiate or weaken the purity of its exercises. 
The spiritual body, which constitutes the residence of 
the soul in its heavenly state, accelerates and perfects 
its operations, instead of retarding and perplexing them ; 
so that its purity is always unstained, its joy always 
full, the song of its worship always new. Another 
ground of difference between the sanctification or holi- 
ness of the present and that of the future life is to be 
found in the circumstance, that in the present life we 
are subject to perpetual and heavy temptations. No 
one, however advanced in religious experience, is 
wholly exempt from them. On the contrary, persons 
who are the most holy often endure temptations of the 
severest kind. But it is not so in the heavenly world 
In that happier place, the contest ceases forever. There 
s not only no sin, and no possibility of sinning, but no 
temptation to sin. While, therefore, we hold to the 
possibility of a freedom from actual voluntary trans- 
gression in this life, it ought to be understood that we 
do not hold to a freedom from temptation. So that we 
may speak of the continuance of the spiritual warfare in 
the present life as a matter of necessity, but not of the 
continuance of sin as a matter of necessity. 

We may also admit, in addition to what has been 
remarked, that all mere physical infirmities, which origi- 
nate in our fallen condition, but which necessarily pre- 
vent our doing for God what we should otherwise do, 
and also all unavoidable errors and imperfections of judg- 
ment, which in their ultimate causes result from sin, 
(we have reference here to Adam's sin,) require an 
atonement. It seems to be clear, that God constituted 
the human race on the principle of a unity, or perhaps, 
more precisely, of a close connection of obligations and 
interests ; linking together man with man, as with bands 
of iron, in the various civil, social, and domestic rela- 
tions. And in consequence of the existence of the great 
connective laws of nature, (laws which our own judg- 
ments and consciences alike approve,) it seems to be 



22 ON THE DOl/TRINE 

the case, that we may sometimes justly suffer, in our 
own persons, results which are of a punitive kind, al- 
though in their source flowing from the evil conduct ot 
others rather than our own. And hence it is that the 
head of a family ordinarily does not sin, without affect- 
ing the happiness of its members. Nor does any mem- 
ber of the family ordinarily sin without involving others 
in the consequences of the transgression. Nor does the 
head of a community, or of a state, or of any other as- 
sociated body, commit errors and crimes without a diffu- 
sion of the attendant misery through the subordinate 
parts of the association. In other words, a union or as- 
sociation of relations and interests, whether it be estab- 
lished by ourselves or by that higher Being with whose 
wisdom we ought ever to be satisfied, necessarily in- 
duces a common liability to error, suffering, and punish- 
ment. 

And in accordance with this view, we may very prop- 
erly, sincerely, and deeply mourn over those various in- 
firmities and imperfections, which flow out of our con- 
nection with an erring and fallen parent, although they 
are very different in their nature from deliberate and 
voluntary transgressions ; and may with deep humility 
make application to the blood of Christ, as alone pos- 
sessing that atoning efficacy which can wash their stains 
away. In other words, God is to be regarded as right- 
eous in exacting from us whatever we could or might 
have rendered him if Adam had not fallen, and if the 
race had remained holy. Nevertheless, he has mercifully 
seen fit to remit or forgive all these involuntary sins, 
more commonly, and perhaps more justly, called imper- 
fections or trespasses, if we will but cordially accept of 
the atonement in the blood of Christ. But without the 
shedding of blood and confession, there is no more re- 
mission in this case than in any other. It is probably in 
reference to such imperfections or trespasses, rather than 
to sins of a deliberate and voluntary nature, that some 
good people speak of the moral certainty or necessity 
we are under of simrng all the time. If such is all their 



OF HOLINESS. 23 

meaning, it is not very necessary to dispute with 
them. 

What, then, after these various remarks and explana- 
tions, is the nature of Christian perfection, or of that 
holiness which, as fallen and as physically and intel- 
lectually imperfect creatures, we are imperatively re- 
quired and expected to exercise ; and to exercise not 
merely in the " article of death," but at the present mo- 
ment, and during every succeeding moment of our lives ? 
It is on a question of this nature, if on any one which 
can possibly be proposed to the human understanding, 
that we must go to the Bible ; and must humbly receive, 
irrespective of human suggestions and human opinions, 
the answer which the word of God gives. It is cause 
of great gratitude, that a question so momentous is 
answered by the Savior himself; and in such a way as 
to leave the subject clear and satisfactory to humble and 
candid minds. When the Savior was asked, " Which is 
the great commandment in the law?" he answered, 
" Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy hearty 
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is 
the first and great commandment. And the second is 
like unto it : Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 
On these two commandments hang all the law and the 
prophets." Matt. xxii. 37 — 39. And it is in accordance 
with the truth involved in this remarkable passage, that 
the apostle asserts, Rom, xiii. 10, " Love is the fulfilling j 
of the law." 

He, therefore, who loves God with his whole heart, 
and his neighbor as himself, although his state may in 
some incidental respects be different from that of Adam, 
and especially from that of the angels in heaven, and 
although he may be the subject of involuntary imperfec- 
tions and infirmities, which, in consequence of his rela- 
tion to Adam, require confession and atonement, is 
nevertheless, in the gospel sense of the terms, a holy oij 
sanctified person. He has that love which is the " ful 
filling of the law." He bears the image of Christ. I< 
is true, he may not have that physical or intellectual 



24 ON THE DOCTRINE OP HOLINESS. 

perfection which the Savior had ; but he bears his mora 4 
image. And of such a one can it be said, in the delight 
ful words of the Savior, John xiv. 23, " If a man love 
me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love 
him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode 
with him." 
/ Holiness, as the term has now been explained, — in 

(other words, pure and perfect love, — • is required of all 

J persons. We do not esteem it necessary to delay, and 
repeat all the passages in which the requisition is made. 
It is written very plainly upon all parts of the Bible, 
from the beginning to the end of it. " But as he 
which hath called you is holy," says the apostle Peter, 
" so be ye holy in all manner of conversation ; because 
it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy." All, therefore, 
which we have to say further at the present time, is this : 

pThose who aim at the possession of the Hidden Life, 
who wish to walk with God, and to hold communion 
with him in the interior man, as a friend converses with 
a friend, will find these glorious results impossible to 
them, except on the condition of holiness of heart 
So long as they indulge voluntarily in any known sin, 
they erect, a wall of separation between themselves and 
their heavenly Father ; and he cannot and will not take 
them into his bosom, and reveal to them the hidden se- 

I crets of his love. They must stand far off. We do no ; 
"say that they are utterly rejected ; but they occupy the 
position of their own selection ; obscure and perplexed 
in their own experience, rnd darkness and perplexity to 
all around them. 



25 



CHAPTER THIRD. 



DIRECTIONS TO AID IN THE ATTAINMENT OK 
HOLINESS. 

Having in the second chapter attempted to show, that 
he higher realizations of the religions life, those in 
cvhich the wall of separation is broken down, and the 
fallen spirit of man emerges into unity with its Maiser, 
can exist only in connection with holiness of heart, the 
next important question to be considered is, how we 
may attain to a state of holiness. How may we expe- 
rience the desirable change from weakness of faith to 
assurance of faith, from a weak and vacillating love to 
perfection of love, — or, what is to be regarded as essen- 
tially the same thing, from a partial to a state of entire 
sanctification ? In reply to this interesting inquiry, we 
proceed to remark, that there are three things upon which, 
in connection with the operations and influences of the 
Holy Spirit, this great result seems especially to depend. 

First. And the first is a belief in the attainableness 
of sanctification or holiness at the present time. 

There are two acknowledged principles in the phi- 
losophy of the human mind, which have an important 
connection with such belief. The first is, that we never 
can feel under moral obligation to do a thing which we 
believe impossible to be done. Now, the popular doc- 
trine, that no man ever has been sanctified, or ever will 
be sanctified, till the moment of death, places, in the 
view of the common mind, the opposite doctrine, viz., 
that sanctification is attainable at any period of life, in 
the light of an impossibility. The idea, that no man has 
been sanctified or will be sanctified till death, is inex- 
plicable, in the view of mei generally, except on the 



•<26 DIRECTIONS TO AID IN THE 

ground that there is some insuperable obstacle in the way 
of it, although they may not readily perceive or explain 
what that obstacle is. The conviction of the impossi- 
bility of present sanctification will exist in the common 
mind, as it has done in times past, just so long as the 
popular doctrine, that there have not been and never will 
be cases of it, prevails. And the consequence is, as 
might naturally be expected, that, throughout a great 
proportion of the churches, the sense of obligation to be 
holy is very feeble. It is not wrought into the mind ; 
it does not weigh upon it heavily, and give it no rest. 
Nor is it possible, on the principles of mental philosophy, 
that it should, while the common notions on this subject 
remain. Men will never feel the obligation to be what 
they believe it impossible for them to be. Now, this great 
work of holiness, we venture to say, will never be ac- 
complished in us without a deep sense of our obligation 
to be holy. 

Another principle, involved in the philosophy of the 
mind, and having a connection with this subject, is 
this: No person — such is the relation between the will 
and belief — can put forth a volition to do a thing, which 
at the same time he believes impossible to be done. I do 
not believe, for instance, in the possibility of flying in 
the air ; and I am unable to put forth a volition to do any 
such thing. I may exercise a desire to fly in the air ; 
but while I have an utter disbelief in its possibility, I 
shall never put forth a volition to do it. So, if I disbe- 
lieve in the possibility of being holy, I can never put 
forth a volition, that is to say, a fixed determination, to 
be so. I may put forth a volition to do many good 
things ; 1 may put forth a volition to grow in grace ; 
but to put forth a volition, a fixed, unalterable determi- 
nation, with divine assistance, to resist and overcome 
every sin, to be wholly the Lord's, — to be holy, — when I 
believe such a result to be unattainable, is what, on the 
principles of the philosophy of the mind, I am unable to 
do. 1 aiight as well put forth a volition to create a con- 
tinent, or to remove the Rocky Mountains into the Pa- 



ATTAINMENT OF HOLINESS. 2? 

cific Ocean, or to do any thing else, which I know it to 
be impossible for me to do. 

Now, if these two philosophical principles have been 
correctly stated — first, that the sense of obligation to be 
hoty at the present time will depend on a belief in the 
present attainableness of holiness ; and, second, that the 
volition, or voluntary determination, to be holy now, 
necessarily presupposes the same belief — then we see very 
clearly the importance of being established in this doc- 
trine. 

Who can expect to be holy now, and holy through 
his whole life, that does not feel the weight of obliga- 
tion to be so ? Still more, who can reasonably expect 
to be holy, that does not put forth a volition, a fixed, 
unalterable determination, with divine assistance, to be 
so ? And if these, the obligation and the volition, or 
fixed purpose of mind, depend on the antecedent belief, 
then evidently the first great preparatory step to a holy 
life, is, to be fully settled in the doctrine ; in other 
words, to believe fully in the attainableness of holiness 
at the present time. And this, as the matter presents 
itself to my own mind, is, practically, a very important 
conclusion. Upon the mind that can appreciate the 
relation and the application of the principles which have 
just been laid down, the reception of the common doc- 
trine of the impossibility of present sanctification presses 
with the weight of a millstone. A person in this posi- 
tion feels that he cannot move. He is like a man that 
is shut up in prison and in irons ; and in accordance with 
the saying that " hope deferred maketh the heart sick," 
he soon ceases to make effort, when there is nothing but 
defeat before him. We say, then, to every one who 
feels the importance of this subject, and who is sincerely 
desirous to be holy in heart, Go to the Bible. Go with 
a single eye. Go in the spirit of humble prayer. And 
see whether the Lord does not require you to be wholly 
his, in the exercise of assurance of faith and of perfect 
love ; and whether he has not, in the blood of h ; 9 
Son, made ample provision for this blessed result. 



28 DIRECTIONS TO AID IN THE 

Second. In answer to the question how we may 
attain to holiness, we proceed to say, that a second in- 
dispensable thir.g is an act of personal consecration to 
God. Some confound such an act of consecration with 
the full or complete state of sanctification. But this 
confusion of ideas ought to be avoided. Sanctification 
is something more than the consecrating act. Conse- 
cration is simply putting forth the volition, (a founda- 
tion for which we will now suppose to be laid in the 
belief of the duty and the attainableness of holiness,) 
the fixed unalterable determination, with divine assist- 
ance, to be wholly the Lord's. In other words, it is a 
fixed purpose, not to be altered during the whole period 
of our existence, to break off from every known sin ; 
and to walk, to the full extent of our ability, in the 
way of the divine requirements. God recognizes the 
moral agency of man, fallen as he is ; and very properly 
caUs upon him and requires him to make this consecra- 
tion, however unavailable it may ultimately be without 
his own accessory aid. Now, it does not necessarily 
follow, because we put forth a determination to do a 
thing, that the thing is done ; although it is certain that 
the thing will never be done without the previous de- 
termination. Such a consecration, therefore, extending 
to all that we are and all that we have, is necessary. And 
let it not be said, that we have no power to make it. 
We are not speaking now of persons who are in the 
deadness of original unconversion. We are speaking ol 
Christians, of persons in a justified state, whose dead 
wills have been partially quickened by the Holy Ghost, 
and who certainly can do something in this way. Such 
a consecration, therefore, made with the whole soul and 
for all coming time, is necessary. 

And it is so, first, because we can have no available 
faith in the promises of God without it. It is a great 
complaint in the Christian church, at the present day. 
that there is a want of faith. If we may take the state- 
ments of Christians themselves, they do not believe; cer 
tamly, not as they should do. And why is it ? It is b<* 



ATTAINMENT OF HOLINESS 29 

cause they have not fully consecrated themselves to God , 
in other words, they continue to indulge in some known 
sins. Such are the laws of the mind, that they cannot 
have full faith in God as a friend and father to them, so 
long as they are conscious of voluntarily sinning against 
him. The Savior himself has distinctly recognized the 
principle, that faith under such circumstances is an im- 
possibility. " How can ye believe, who receive honor 
one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from 
God only ? " If we seek the honor that cometh from 
God, in other words, if in the fixed purpose of our minds 
we consecrate ourselves to him, to do, as far as in us lies, 
his whole will, then, and not otherwise, we can believe 
that he will be to us, and do for us, all that he has prom- 
ised in his Holy Word. It is precisely here as it is in 
common life. It is impossible for us, in our intercourse 
of man with man, to believe that a man whom we delib- 
erately sin against and injure has confidence in us and 
loves us, provided we are certain that he has knowledge 
of the fact. The principle will be found to hold good 
in regard to God as well as man. Before Adam and Eve 
sinned, they had faith in God as their father and friend. 
But their faith failed as soon as they had sinned j and 
they immediately hid themselves from his presence. It 
we would have faith, therefore, we must endeavor by 
consecration to cease from all known voluntary sin. In 
entire accordance with these views are the remarkable 
expressions in the first epistle of John — " Beloved, if our 
hearts condemn us not, then have we confidence toward 
God." 

An act of entire consecration is necessary, so far as it 
is in our power to make it, secondly, because we have 
no encouragement to believe that God will sanctify us 
in the state of personal and spiritual inactivity and de- 
clension. As has already been said, God recognizes the 
moral agency of man, fallen as he is ; and especially 
when, after having justified him by the application of 
the Savior's blood, he has given him the principle of a 
new spiritual life. It is because he has given us the 
3 * 



30 DIRECTIONS TO AID IN THE 

power of distinguishing between good and evil ; because 
fie has given us judgment, and conscience, and will ; be- 
cause he has breathed into us the breath of a new spir- 
itual life — thereby putting us into communication with 
himself, and opening to us the fountains of everlasting 
strength — that he has the right, and exercises the right, of 
requiring us to surrender all to him. And if we find the 
attempt difficult, as no doubt, on account of our past lives, 
we shall be very likely to, he nevertheless requires that 
we shall do all that we can. And it is at this point, 
when we have put forth, with all the energy and sin- 
cerity of our being, the unalterable determination, relying 
upon divine assistance, that we will be wholly his, that 
he meets us. The two principles of entire consecration 
and of divine assistance, to the full extent of the prom- 
ises, go together. And both are imbodied in that re- 
markable passage of Scripture, which should be written 
upon the heart of every believer, " Come ye out from 
among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and 
touch not the unclean thing ; and I \oill receive you, and ■ 
will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and my 
daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." 2 Cor. vi. 17, 18 

It will of course be understood, that, in making this 
act of consecration, we have a sincere and earnest desire 
for holiness. We cannot suppose it possible, that it 
should be made in any other state of mind. 

Third. A third thing requisite, in order to present 
sanctification, is a full belief in the faithfulness of God 
in relation to the fulfilment of his promises. Having 
believed, first, that holiness is a duty, and that such pro- 
vision is made for it as to render it attainable ; and hav- 
ing, secondly, consecrated ourselves to God in all things 
to do his will, we are now, in the third place, to have 
faith in him, that he will do what he has voluntarily 
assumed as his own part ; in other words, that he will 
fulfil the promises he has graciously made ; that he will 
accept the sacrifice which we have deliberately laid 
upon his altar; ar.d make us fully and entirely his 
This is oftentimes tl e most difficult thing of the whole - 



ATTAINMENT OF HOLINESS. 31. 

Qijflicultj not in itself considered, but in consequence of 
our naturally fallen condition. Some, it is true, believe 
easily ; believe at once ; and of course enter in at such 
an open door, that they are filled with surprise. But 
many stumble at this point. They feel the dreadful 
effects of former habits of mind. That old unbelief, 
which has so long kept them far from God, still clings to 
them. They hesitate, linger, become discouraged, and 
are oftentimes defeated. It is at this crisis of one's reli- 
gious history, that the saying of Elizabeth to Mary has 
an especial meaning — " Blessed is she that believed." 

There is one thing, in particular, which seems to ren- 
der it necessary to believe that God does now accept the 
consecration which is made. It is, that this belief con- 
stitutes, if we may so express it, the transition point (or 
rather perhaps the transition itself) from consecration to 
sanctification. In the act of consecration we solemnly 
promise the Lord, that, relying upon his grace, we will 
now and forever break off from every known sin. But 
in exercising faith in God as true to his promises, and as 
giving us strength to be his, and as now receiving us, we 
may be said in some respects to do a still greater work, 
viz., we renounce absolutely and entirely all self-reliance 
and all confidence in our own strength. And he, who 
breaks off from every known sin, and at the same time. 
in full reliance upon the word of God, and with childlike 
simplicity, leaves himself entirely and in ail things in 
the hands of God, unresistingly to receive the sugges- 
tions and to fulfil the guidance of the Holy Spirit, ne- 
cessarily becomes, in the Scripture sense of the terms, a 
holy or sanctified person. He becomes so, because he 
is precisely in that position in which God desires him to 
be, and in which the grace of God is pledged to give re- 
demption and victory. God necessarily receives him : 
in other words, he passes from a state of rebellion to one 
of submission ; from a state of unbelief to one of child- 
like confidence ; and from himself, and out of himself, 
imo God. 

The difficulty of believing at this particular ciisis 



32 DIRECTIONS TO AID IN THE 

results not only from our former habits of unbelief, but 
also, in part, although it may seem to be a contradiction, 
from the extreme simplicity and facility of the thing to 
be done. The internal process in the minds of many 
persons, when they arrive at this specific point, seems to 
be like this. Is it possible, they say, that we can expe- 
rience so great a blessing in a manner so easy, so simple, 
that we stumble at its very simplicity ? Must we expe- 
rience the great work of interior salvation in the way of 
renunciation, by merely giving up all, and by sinking 
into the simplicity and nothingness of little children ? Is 
there nothing which is personally meritorious, nothing 
which is the subject of self-gratulation, neither in the 
beginning, nor in the progress, nor in the completion, of 
the divine life ? And thus, through the extreme good- 
ness of God in making the way so easy, they are con- 
fused and kept back. In a word, they disbelieve, simply 
because, in this position of their experience, nothing is 
required but believing. Happy is he, who, in losing ali 
things, gains all things. Happy is he, who alienates 
himself from himself, in order that God may take pos- 
session of that self which he has renounced. Again we 
repeat, " Blessed is she that believed." It is in the ex- 
ercise of belief, under the circumstances which we have 
now been considering, that we realize the full import of 
those striking passages* of Scripture, (passages which we 
shall have occasion to remark upon hereafter,) Mark xi. 
24: " Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye 
desire. t when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and 
ye shall have them. 11 And 1st Epistle of John, v. 15: 
" And this is the confidence that toe have in him, that, if 
we ask any thing according to his will, lie heareth us. 
And if toe know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we 
know that toe have the 'petitions that we desired of him" 
A faithful and persevering application of the principles 
laid down in this chapter, attended with reliance on 
God for his blessing, will result, we have no doubt, in 
leading persons into the narrow and holy way. We say 
versevering application, because in nothing is perse ^r- 



ATTAINMENT OF HOLINESS. 33 

ance, a fixed tenacity of purpose, more desirable than in 
che pursuit of holiness. He, who puts his hand to the 
plough here, with the secret reservation that he will look- 
back when he pleases, might as well make no beginning. 
There must be a fixedness of determination, which will 
not be discouraged by any obstacles ; an inflexible will, 
which, with God's blessing, will continue steadfast to 
the end. 



34 



CHAPTER FOURTH. 



ON THE ACT OR COVENANT OF RELIGIOUS COlN 
SECRATION. 

It must be obvious, from what was said in the last 
chapter, that no one can reasonably expect to make much 
advancement in religion without a permanent and de- 
vout personal consecration. Unless the Christian is will- 
ing to make such a consecration, and unless he actu- 
ally adds the execution of the thing to the desire or will- 
ingness to do it, by a formal and decisive act, we can see 
no encouragement that he will reach those results of 
personal inward experience which will be hereafter in- 
dicated. This is a duty so important, so much depends 
upon it, that it seems to be necessary to give to it a sep- 
arate and more particular consideration. 

(1.) And the first remark which we have to make on 
ihis subject is, that the consecration of ourselves to God, 
which is so inseparable from the progress and perfection 
of the divine life, should be made deliberately. — A 
consecration made in this manner, viz., with calmness 
and deliberation, is due to our own characters as rational 
and reflecting beings. As God has made us perceptive 
and rational, he desires and expects us, especially in im- 
portant transactions, to act in accordance with the prin 
ciples he has given us. It is not reasonable to suppose 
that God would be pleased with a consecration made 
thoughtlessly and by blind impulse, rather than by de- 
liberate reflection. Man has deliberately rebelled and 
gone astray, and it is due to himself and his Maker, it is 
due to truth and to holiness, that he should deliberately 
and reflectingly submit and return ; that his repentance 
of sin should be accompanied with a clear perception of 



ON THE ACT OF RELIGIOUS CONSECRATION. 35 

his sinfulness; that his determination to do God's will 
should be attended with some suitable apprehensions of 
what he requires ; and that his fixed purpose of future 
obedience should be sustained by the united strength ot 
all appropriate considerations. 

(2.) We observe, in the second place, that the conse- 
cration must be made for all coming time. It is true 
that there may be specific consecrations of a modified 
character, restricted to particular objects and occasions, 
and limited also to definite periods. A person, for in- 
stance, may devote himself exclusively, for a limited 
time, to the one important object of erecting a place of 
public worship. And regarding him as giving to this 
one object all his powers of body and of mind, we may 
properly speak of him, in an imperfect or modified sense 
of the term, as consecrated to this particular work. 
But it is quite obvious that such instances of consecra- 
tion are exceedingly different from the one under con- 
sideration; which is fundamental and universal in its 
character, and which would be inconsistent with itself 
if it were applied to one object to the exclusion of others : 
which takes into view the very being and nature of the 
soul ; which considers the principles of man's departure 
from God, and also the principles involved in his restora- 
tion ; which recognizes the full amount of God's immu- 
table and infinite claims ; and which, therefore, on the 
grounds of truth and rectitude, as well as of safety and 
of happiness, cannot be made for a less period than all 
time and eternity. 

(3.) It may be remarked again, that the consecration, 
including our bodies as well as our spirits, and our pos- 
sessions as well as our persons, all we are and all we 
have, all we can do and all we can suffer, should be 
made without any reserve. There are many professors 
of religion who are willing to give up something to the 
Lord ; and perhaps it can be said that there are many 
who are willing to give up much ; but the consecration 
of which we are speaking, requires us to be truly willing 
to give up all ; and not only to be willing to give uj/- 



36 ON THE ACT OR COVENANT 

all, but to do it. It is true that, in our present state 
some things are needful for us, and our heavenly Father 
assures us that he is not ignorant of it. But while, in 
compassion to our obvious wants, he bestows upon us 
those things which are necessary to beings who must 
be fed, clothed, and sheltered, he requires us to hold 
these and all other gifts of a temporal nature, which we 
sometimes call our own, as bestowments imparted by 
himself for a special purpose, and to be retained and used 
in perfect subordination to the divine will. And still 
more important and necessary is it, that all the exercises 
of the mind, that all powers and efforts of the intellect, 
and all desires and purposes of the heart and will, should 
be laid sacredly upon the divine altar ; in perfect sim- 
plicity of view ; without any reservation, and with- 
out any regards, however secret and intimate, to the 
claims of self; inscribed, as it were, within and without, 
with holiness to the Lord ; from God, of God, and for 
God. Consecration without reserve implies that we 
are not only to give up our persons and powers to be 
employed as God wills, but also to endure or suffer as 
God wills ; and it implies also that we are to give them 
up, to be employed and to suffer just in the time and 
place, and in all the precise circumstances, which are 
agreeable to God ; without presuming to dictate to him 
in the smallest respects, and without any will or choice 
of our own. 

(4.) Finally, in the full conviction that no efforts or 
purposes of our own will be available without divine as- 
sistance, we should make the consecration in reliance 
upon divine strength ; recognizing, on the one hand, our 
own entire weakness, and at the same time fully believ- 
ing, on the other, in the willingness and readiness of God 
to aid and deliver us in every time of temptation and 
trial. A consecration, made without a distinct recogni- 
tion of our own insufficiency, and without the expression 
and the reality of reliance on God alone as our only hope, 
would be wanting in the most essential element. It 
would necessarily fail of the divine blessing, and could 



OF RELIGIOUS CONSECRATION. 37 

not result in any good. " Lay it down to yourself as a 
most certain principle," says Dr. Doddridge, " that no at- 
tempt in religion is to be made in your own strength. 
If you forget this, and God purposes finally to save you, 
he will humble you with repeated disappointments, till 
he teach you better." 

A consecration, thus deliberately made, including all 
our acts, powers, and possessions of body, mind, and 
estate, made without any reserve either in objects, time, 
or place ; embracing trial and suffering as well as action ; 
never to be modified, and never to be withdrawn ; and 
which contemplates its fulfilment in divine and not in 
human strength, — necessarily brings one into a new rela- 
tionship with God, of the most intimate, interesting, and 
effective nature. It is not easy to see how a soul, that 
is thus consecrated, can ever be deserted. Divinity is 
pledged in its behalf; and in all times of temptation 
and trial, when clouds and storms hang darkly and 
heavily around, there will always be a redeeming power, 
a light in the midst of shadows, the shining of the bow 
of promise. 

A word further remains to be said here. I am aware 
there are some, who seem to appreciate the necessity of 
entirely consecrating themselves to God, and perhaps 
may be said to be willing to do it, but who have felt a 
difficulty in one particular. They have inquired, with a 
good deal of solicitude, How is it possible to make a 
consecration now which shall bind us to fulfil the will 
of God in all the emergencies of the unseen and untried 
future ? — including cases, the difficulties of which we are 
now unable to appreciate, and therefore do not know 
that we have now, or ever shall have, strength to meet 
them. In respect to such cases, all we can say is, that 
we must commit ciirselves into the hands of God in the 
exercise of simple faith ; remembering his declaration, 
that " his grace is sufficient." God hath said, Heb. xiii. 
5, 6, " I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. So that 
we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will 
not fear what man shall do unto me." 
4 



38 ON THE ACT OR COVENANT 

In the conclusion of this subject, I would introduce 
another short passage from Dr. Doddridge.* — "I would 
further advise and urge," he says, speaking on the mat- 
ter of making an entire consecration of ourselves, "that 
this DEDic 4tion should be made with all possible solem- 
nity. Do :t in express words. And perhaps it may be in 
many cases most expedient, as many pious divines have 
recommended, to do it in writing. Set your hand and 
seal to it, that, on such a day of such a month and 
year, and at such a place, on full consideration and 
serious reflection, you came to this happy resolution, 
that, whatever others might do, you would serve the 
Lord." In connection with some further remarks of 
this kind, he gives two forms of consecration, of which 
the following is an abridgment, with the addition of a 
few words in brackets, which seemed to be necessary to 
complete the sense. 



FORM OF CONSECRATION, 

Abridged from Dr. Doddridge. 

Eternal and ever-blessed God ! I desire to present 
myself before Thee with the deepest humiliation and 
abasement of soul, sensible how unworthy such a sinful 
worm is to appear before the holy Majesty of heaven, 
and to enter into a covenant transaction with Thee. I 
come acknowledging myself to have been a great offend- 
er ; smiting on my breast, and saying, with the humble 
publican, God be merciful to me a sinner. I come in- 
vited in the name of thy Son, and wholly trusting in 
his perfect righteousness ; entreating that, for his sake, 
Thou wilt be merciful to my unrighteousness, and wilt 
no more remember my sins. 

Permit me, O Lord, to bring back unto Thee those 
powers and faculties which I have ungratefully and 

* Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul, chap, xvii 



OP RELIGIOUS CONSECRATION. 39 

sacrilegiously alienated from thy service ; and receive, 
I beseech Thee, thy poor revolted creature, who is now 
convinced of thy right to him, and desires nothing in 
the world so much as to be thine. It is with the ut- 
most solemnity that I make this surrender of myself 
unto Thee. I avouch the Lord this day to be my God ; 
and I avouch and declare myself this day to be one of 
his covenant children and people. Hear, O Thou God 
of heaven, and record it in the book of thy remem- 
brance, that I am thine, entirely thine. I would not 
merely consecrate to Thee some of my powers, or some 
of my possessions, or give Thee a certain portion of my 
services, or all I am capable of for a limited time ; [but 
1 give myself to Thee, and promise, relying upon thy 
divine assistance,] to be wholly thine, and thine forever. 

From this day do I solemnly renounce all the former 
lords which have had dominion over me, every sin and 
every lust; and in thy name set myself in eternal oppo- 
sition to the powers of hell, which have most unjustly 
usurped the empire over my soul, and to all the cor- 
ruptions which their fatal temptations have introduced 
into it. The whole frame of my nature, 'all the facul- 
ties of my mind and all the members of my body, would 
I present before Thee this day, as a living sacrifice, holy 
and acceptable to God, which I know to be my most 
reasonable service. [To Thee I consecrate not only my 
person and powers,] but all my worldly possessions ; 
and earnestly pray Thee, also to give me strength and 
courage to exert for thy glory all the influence I ma} 
have over others, in the relations of life in which 
I stand. 

Nor do I only consecrate all that I am and have to do 
thy service ; but I also most humbly resign and submit 
myself, and all that I can call mine, [to endure and 
suffer at thy hand whatsoever Thou mayest see fit to 
impose upon me in the dispensations] of thy holy and 
sovereign will. I leave, O Lord, to thy management 
and direction all I possess and all I wish ; and set every 
enjoyment and every interest before Thee, to be dis- 



40 ON THE ACT OF RELIGIOUS CONSECRATION. 

posed of as Thou pleasest ; contentedly resolving, in all 
that Thou appointest for me, my will into thine, and 
looking on myself as nothing, and on Thee, O God, as 
the great eternal All, whose word ought to determine 
every thing, and whose government ought to be the 
joy of the whole rational creation. 

Receive, O heavenly Father, thy returning prodigal ! 
Wash me in the blood of thy dear Son ! Clothe me 
with thy perfect righteousness ; and sanctify me through- 
out by the power of thy Spirit. And, O Lord, when 
thou seest the agonies of dissolving nature upon me, 
remember this covenant, even though I should then be 
incapable of recollecting it, and look with pitying eye 
upon thy dying child. Put strength and confidence 
into my departing spirit ; and receive it to the embraces 
of thine everlasting love. 



GLORY TO GOD A.LONE. 

" O Loved ! but not enough, though dearer far 
Than self and its most loved enjoyments are; 
None duly loves Thee, but who, nobly free 
From sensual objects, finds his all in Thee. 
Glory of God ! thou stranger here below, 
Whom man nor knows, nor feels a wish to know 
Our faith and reason are both shocked to find 
Man in the post of honor, Thee behind. 

"My Soul ! rest happy in thy low estate, 

Nor hope, nor wish, to be esteemed or great. 

To take the impression of a Will Divine, 

Be that thy glory, and those riches thine. 

Confess Him righteous in his just decrees, 

Love what He loves, and let his pleasures please ; 

Die daily ; from the touch of sin recede, 

Then thou hast crowned Him, and He reign3 indeed. 



41 



CHAPTER FIFTH. 

ON FAITH, ESPECIALLY APPROPRIATING FAITH. 

It is not until a person has taken the important and 
decisive step indicated in the foregoing chapter, that he 
is in a true position to realize the various results of an 
unobstructed divine operation upon the mind. It is 
from that moment, that divine moment, that he begins 
to learn, in a new and higher sense, the length and 
breadth, the height and depth, of God's inward dealings. 
Especially is it true, that, from this important period, 
he begins to learn and to practise the life of faith. 
Perhaps he had faith before. If he were a Christian, 
ne must of course have known something of justifying 
faith. In other words, he exercised faith in Christ as 
the source, and the only source, of pardon ; but he did 
not realize and understand the nature and efficacy of 
faith, as a practically sustaining and sanctifying princi- 
ple ; as a principle through which we are not only 
forgiven, but are made and are kept holy. 

It is not our intention, in the present work, to go very 
fully into the nature of faith. To do this fully, to con- 
sider faith in its nature and its various bearings, would 
require a volume. If there is any religious principle 
which is fundamental, any one which may be regarded 
as the root and source of origin to the various othei 
Christian graces that cluster around and adorn the Chris- 
tian character, it is faith. So far as the subject of faith 
will come under our notice in the present work, it will 
be our object especially, if not exclusively, to consider 
it in connection with the more general subject of sanc- 
tification. We are commanded in the Scriptures to 
4* 



42 ON FAITH, ESPECIALLY 

" have faith in God; " we are told that "the just shall 
live by faith," and also that "without faith it is impos- 
sible to please God." How important it is, therefore, to 
have right views of this excellent Christian grace, con- 
sidered in its relation to sanctification and holy living, 
as well as in its connection with justification ! 

There are three leading kinds of faith, saying nothing 
of some subordinate modifications, viz., historical faith, 
a general religious faith, and an appropriating faith ; 
each of which is entitled to a brief notice. An his- 
torical faith in the Savior is merely a belief that such a 
man as Jesus Christ, possessing many of the virtuous 
traits which his biographers have ascribed to him, 
appeared in Palestine at the commencement of the 
Christian era. It is not easy to see how a person, who 
gives credence to any of the historical narrations of an- 
tiquity, can do otherwise than receive this belief. This 
faith, however, does not necessarily involve the exist- 
ence of religion, or even of good morals. Men of 
abandoned characters, and of essentially infidel senti- 
ments, may go as far as this. Voltaire, and other distin- 
guished enemies of the Christian system, had a belief 
of this kind. 

"Alas," says Jacob Behmen, speaking of the state of 
things in his times, of which he says that " true faith 
was never weaker since Christ's time than it is now," 
"the faith of this day is but historical,. a mere assent 
to the matter of fact that Jesus Christ lived and died, that 
the Jews killed him, that he left this world, and is not 
king on earth in the outward man" — a faith, which leaves 
men, as he further intimates, to "do what they list," 
and is not inconsistent with a life " of sin and evil 
lusts."* 

(2.) There is also a general religious faith. A person 
may not only believe, with those who possess an his 
torical faith, that there was such a man as Jesus Christ , 
but may also believe that he died for the salvation of men 

* The Way to Christ, Book II. chap. 3, § 52. 



APPROPRIATING FAITH. 43 

in general. This form of faith, it is true, is important ; 
but it does not and cannot secure all those objects 
which are ascribed to faith in the Bible. I sup- 
pose it may be said with truth, that the devils believe 
and know, not only that there was such a being as Jesus 
Christ, but that he died upon the cross for sinners. It 
obviously does not commend itself to human reason, 
and still loss to the Word of God, to say that a man has 
saving faith, who merely believes in Jesus Christ as the 
Savior of the world, so far as the world receives him in 
that capacity ; but without receiving and believing in 
him as a Savior in his own case. 

A faith of this kind, and which goes no farther than 
this, is practically dead. And perhaps it may be said 
here that the great sin of the people of our own age is, 
not that they have merely an historical faith, and stop 
in that, as in some former corrupt periods ; but that they 
too often rest satisfied with a general and abstract faith, 
which is theoretically applicable to the world at large, 
without bringing it home to themselves. They believe 
in the general truth, without making a specific and per- 
sonal application ; and thus serve Satan as effectually, 
as far as they are personally concerned, as if they had 
only an historical faith. 

(3.) A third form or modification of the great princi- 
ple of faith is what may be called appropriating faith. 
The necessity of this form of faith is evident from even 
a slight consideration of the subject. The usual under- 
standing is, with the exception of those who hold 
strictly to a limited atonement, that our Savior has 
provided a common salvation, adequate to the wants of 
all, but available only in the case of those who exercise 
faith. How far this salvation will practically extend ; 
how many individuals will avail themselves of it ; why 
some are taken and others are left, we cannot tell ; nor 
is it very obvious that it is important for us to know. 
But certain it is, that no one will accept of the provision 
which is made without faith. But what sort of faith . 
The answer is, It is that which can speak in the firsv 



44 ON FAITH, ESPECIALLY 

person; that which has an appropriating power; tha 
which can say, I have sinned ; / have need of this sal 
vation ; I take it home to myself. It is not enough for 
me to say, I believe that Christ died for others ; I must 
also believe that he died for me individually, and accept 
of him as my Savior. It is not meant by this that, pre- 
vious to the exercise of appropriating faith, and inde- 
pendently of such exercise, we have a special or partic- 
ular interest in Christ, separate from and above that of 
others ; and that appropriating faith consists in believing 
in this special or particular interest. An appropriating 
faith of this kind, and operating in this manner, might 
be very dangerous. It is merely meant, that, out of 
the common interest, which is broad as the human race, 
we may, by means of faith, take individually that which 
the gospel permits us to receive and regard as our own ; 
and that we can avail ourselves of this common interest, 
so as to make it personally our own, in no other way. 

God deals with us (certainly for the most part) as 
individuals, and not in masses. When he requires men 
to repent of sin, to exercise gratitude, to love, and the 
like, the requisition is obviously made upon them as 
individuals, as separate from and as independent of 
others. It is not possible to conceive of any other way 
in which obedience to the requisition can be rendered. 
Nor is it conceivable that the remedial effect of the 
atonement should be realized in any other way than 
this. How is it possible, if I, in my own person, have 
suffered the wound of sin, that a remedy, which is gen- 
eral, and does not admit of any specific and personal ap- 
propriation, should answer my purpose ? Furthermore, 
in dying for all, — in other words, in furnishing a common 
salvation, available to all on their acceptance of the 
same, — Christ necessarily died for me as an individual, 
since the common mass or race of men is made up of 
individuals, and since I am one of that common mass 
or race. And indeed we can have no idea of a com- 
munity or mass of men, except as a congregation -or 
collection of separate persons. In dying for the whole 



APPROPRIATING FAITH. 45 

on certain conditions, he necessarily, therefoie, on the 
same conditions, died for the individuals composing that 
whole. 

It would seem to follow, then, from what has been said, 
that the faith which we especially need is a personal or 
appropriating faith ; a faith which will disintegrate us from 
the mass, and will enable us to take Christ home, in all 
his offices, to our own business and our own bosoms. 
We must be enabled to say, if we would realize the 
astonishing cleansing and healing efficacy there is in 
the gospel, of God, that he is my God, of the Savior, 
that he is my Savior. We must be enabled to lay hold 
of the blessed promises, and exclaim, These are the gift 
of my Father, these are the purchase of my Savior, these 
are meant for me. 

It was thus that patriarchs, prophets, and apostles be- 
lieved. This was the faith of those consecrated ones, of 
whom the world was not worthy, recorded in the eleventh 
chapter of Hebrews. Hear the language of the Psalmist 
as an illustration of what is to be found frequently in 
the Scriptures. How precise, how personal, how re- 
mote from unmeaning generalities ! " I will love thee, 

Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my 
fortress, and my deliverer ; my God, my strength, in whom 

1 will trust ; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, 
and my high tower ; " and it is worthy of notice, that 
the first word of the Lord's prayer has this appropriating 
character — "Our Father, who art in heaven." 

It is here, in connection with this form of faith, that 
we find the great and effective instrument of progress 
and of victory in the Interior Life. If we possess an 
appropriating faith, and if our faith be operative and 
strong, as it should be, we shall not only gain the victory 
over the various temptations which beset us in the pres- 
ent life, but shall find ourselves rapidly forming a new 
and wonderful acquaintance with God. In the present 
life, a strong and operative appropriating faith is the 
key which unlocks the mysteries of the divine nature, 
and admits the soul to a present and intuitive acquaint- 



46 ON FAITH, ESPECIALLY 

ance with its exceeding heights and depths of purity 
and love. No man who has not this faith, or has it not 
in a high degree, can be said to live in true union with 
the divine mind, with God and in God. • Hence we 
consider it important to say distinctly, in endeavoring to 
sketch some of the traits and principles of the Interioi 
or Hidden Life, that those persons will have no true and 
experimental knowledge of the things which we affirm, 
who merely believe generically and not specifically ; in 
other words, who believe for others rather than them- 
selves ; who, in the exercise of a sort of discursive faith, 
which embraces the mass of mankind, cannot be said 
to possess it individually, and personally, and for their 
own soul's good. Let us, then, begin to learn the great 
lesson of faith ; of faith in its general nature ; of faith 
in its various modifications ; and particularly, the indis- 
pensable lesson of appropriating faith. Well has Martin 
Luther somewhere remarked, that the marrow of the 
gospel is to be found in the pronouns meum and nostrum, 
my and our. 

Faith is better to us, far better, than mere intellectual 
illumination ; better than any strength of joyous emotion ; 
better than any thing and every thing else, except holy 
love, of which it is the true parent. The fallen angels, 
in their primitive state of holiness, had illuminations, 
great discoveries of God and of heavenly things, and 
great raptures. But when their faith failed, when they 
ceased to have perfect confidence in God, they fell into 
sin and ruin. Our first parents fell in the same way ; 
because they ceased to have confidence in God ; because 
they ceased to believe him to be what he professed to 
be, and that he would do what he declared he would do 
Their previous glorious experiences, their illuminations 
and joys, availed nothing, as soon as unbelief entered. 
Unbelief in them, and unbelief in their descendants, has 
ever been the great, the destructive sin. And faith, on 
the other hand, an implicit confidence in God, a perfect 
self-abandonment into his hands, ever has been, and, 
from the nature of the case, ever must be, the fountai/i 



APPROPRIATING FAITH. 47 

jf all other internal good, the life of all other life in 
the soul. 

And it may be remarked here, in addition to what 
has been said, that God, in his infinite mercy, knowing 
the ruinous effects of unbelief, seems determined to try, 
and to strengthen, the belief of his people during theii 
present state of probation. His word declares that they 
must walk by faith in the present life. All his various 
providences point in the same direction. He who 
attempts to walk in any other way will find himself 
inconsistent, changeable, subject to unsuitable elevations 
and depressions, and in many respects falling short of 
what a Christian ought to be. Not that faith is the 
only Christian principle, or the only Christian grace. 
By no means. But it is the fundamental principle ; the 
prerequisite and preparatory element ; especially of that 
love which purifies the heart, and is the "fulfilling 

OF THE LAW." 



48 



CHAPTER SIXTH. 

CONSECRATION TO BE FOLLOWED BY THE FAITH Oi 
ACCEPTANCE. 

It would seem, from what has been said, that the 
sanctificatioii of the heart, and all those various blessings 
which are involved in sanctification, depend, if not ex- 
clusively, yet certainly in a great degree, upon two 
leading principles: first, an entire consecration oi 
ourselves to God ; and, secondly, a full and unwavering 
belief that the consecration is accepted. 

Upon this second principle, which has already been 
Drier! y referred to on a former occasion, we propose to 
say something further in the present chapter. In ma- 
king a consecration to God in the manner which has 
been indicated, we take a step, which, considered in any 
point of view, may be regarded as absolutely necessary. 
It is not enough, however, to offer all. In the same 
spirit of reliance on God, we must also believe that 

ALL IS ACCEPTED. 

It is the belief that God is faithful to his word ; and 
that, in accordance with his word, he will receive, and 
does now receive, all that unreservedly lay themselves 
upon his altar, which seems especially to secure the 
presence of a sanctifying efficacy. On the contrary, he 
who consecrates himself to God, however sincere he 
may be in the act of consecration, but who greatly dis- 
honors the veracity of God by remaining without the 
faith of acceptance, deprives himself of that mighty 
power which faith alone is capable of imparting, and 
necessarily lies prostrate and exposed to all the dreadful 
attacks of the adversary. 

It is in connection with this view, as it seems to me. 



FAITH OF ACCEPTANCE. 49 

that we are enabled to appreciate and correctly under- 
stand certain passages of Scripture, which are frequently 
mentioned in connection with the subject of present 
sanctification ; such as the following: "Therefore I 
say unto you, What things soever ye desire when ye 
pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have 
them." Mark xi. 24. " And this is the confidence that 
we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according 
Co his will, he heareth us. And if we know," (that is, 
have full faith or confidence in him,) "that he heareth 
us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the peti- 
tions that we desired of him." 1 John v. 14. 

The doctrine of these important passages is this : In 
consecrating ourselves to God, and in praying sincerely 
for those things which are agreeable to the will of God, 
such as our sanctification and those Christian graces 
which are implied in sanctification, we may be certain 
that they will be given to us, and that they are now 
given to us, if we have no doubt in God's word. 
The certainty of the result, when the condition on 
which it depends is fulfilled, viz., a full belief of the 
truth of the divine declaration, is necessarily involved 
in the veracity of God ; and not, as is sometimes sup- 
posed, in the mere fact of believing. This is an impor- 
tant distinction. It is God's everlasting truth, and 
nothing but his truth, which is the real foundation of 
the great principle involved in these passages. Never- 
theless, it must be admitted, that the result cannot take 
place without the specific act of faith ; because the de- 
fect or want of such faith necessarily makes a separa- 
tion between God and our souls, and especially because 
the promise of God, which is the true and effective 
source of the renovating power, is made only upon the 
condition of the act of faith. As soon, therefore, as God, 
m aid of our own unavailing efforts, takes away the re- 
mains of unbelief, and gives us perfect faith in the 
promise, which by implication involves perfect faith in 
all the divine declarations, he necessarily gives us the 
victory. "As many as received him, to them gave he 
5 



50 CONSECRATION TO BE FOLLOWED 

power to become the sons of God, even to them thai 
believe on his name." From that memorable moment, 
whether our emotions are more or less strong, and 
whether we have had special inward signs and manifes- 
tations or not, we truly feel the purifying energy. The 
principle of faith, perhaps after a long inward strife, has 
become ascendant. We have now assumed a new posi- 
tion. We are now become like little children. It 
can now be said of us, in the significant language of 
Scripture, we are " careful for nothing ; " living in perfect 
simplicity of spirit ; receiving our daily bread without 
disquieting thoughts of the morrow ; folded and pro- 
tected in the arms of Infinite Love. 

(1.) There are one or two inferences, which flow 
out of the views which have been expressed. And the 
first is, that there is, in reality, no need, as a preparation 
for sanctification, of much mental excitement, of pro- 
tracted sighing and lamentation, of long fastings, and 
macerations and mighty stragglings of body. It is true, 
that some of these things may exist, to a certain extent, 
without being altogether profitless. But what we mean 
to say is, that they do not appear to be absolutely neces- 
sary ; and there is sometimes danger, especially when 
there is a disposition to trust in them, of their being de- 
cidedly injurious. The process, as it really takes place, 
may probably be all embraced in a single sentence : 
"Give all, and take all." Lay all upon the altar, and 
believe that God, in accordance with his word, receives 
it ; and always continue in that state of present and en- 
tire consecration, and of present and entire faith, and all 
is done. If God is true, it cannot be otherwise. 

And we may properly add here, that the experience 
of very many persons is found to coincide with this 
statement. They have labored ; they have prayed 
earnestly, so far as a man can pray without the requisite 
faith ; they have fasted for a great length of time ; they 
have endured physical and mental suffering in various 
ways ; but all without securing the great object of 
their desires — till at length, wearied with this appa- 



BY THE FAITH OF ACCEPTANCE. 51 

rently fruitless method of pursuit, they have simply left 
themselves in the hands of God, without reserve ; and 
have believed, in accordance with his own declaration, 
that he did now accept them. And thus ceasing from 
their own unavailing efforts, to which, perhaps, they 
were secretly, but wickedly, inclined to attach some per- 
sonal merit, they have entered, by simple faith alone, 
into the favor and the rest of God. They are from that 
moment cut off from the fatal system which demands 
a sign or manifestation, either inward or outward, ad- 
ditional to the mere word of God and confirmatory of 
it, and from all preconceived and self-originated notions 
of what they should like to have and what they should 
not like to have ; and have become, as already remarked, 
like little children — willing to let their heavenly Father 
guide them, without imposing upon him any conditions ; 
willing to have much or little, to be wise or to be ig- 
norant, to go or to stay, to sit down or rise up, to speak 
or be silent, to be honored or dishonored, to be on the 
mount of joy or in the valley of temptation and sorrow, 
to be any thing or nothing, just as God wills. 

(2.) It is proper to remark, further, that the princi- 
ple, which has been laid down in its general form, is 
applicable also in particular cases. That is to say, it is 
not only in this manner that we may be led to experience 
the genuine sanctification of the heart in the more gen- 
eral sense of the terms ; but it is in this manner, also, 
that we are to receive the particular graces, appropriate 
to particular occasions, which are involved in sanctifica- 
tion. 

It is well understood, I suppose, that the exercises of 
a sanctified heart are not always the same, but will vary 
more or less with the occasions which call them into 
exercise. The grace of patience is especially appro- 
priate to one occasion ; the grace of gratitude to another. 
And these, and all other Christian graces, come from the 
same great fountain, viz., God himself; and they will 
come, with the exception perhaps of very extraordinary 
cases, all in the same way. and in connection with t>*. 



52 CONSECRATION TO BE FOLLOWED 

same great principles. If, for instance, I need especial 
wisdom and prudence, appropriate to a particular trying 
crisis, I must go to God and ask for it, just as I had done 
before in relation to the general object of sanctification : 
first, in the spirit of entire consecration, and, second, 
in the exercise of simple faith. And by faith, here, it is 
hardly necessary to repeat, after what has been said, we 
mean a faith which fully believes that God will do, and 
that, if the present is in his view the appropriate 
time, he does even now aceomplish, that which he has 
promised. I recollect to have heard a Congregational 
minister assert, on some public occasion, that to pr> v 
aright is to receive. This declaration obviously im- 
bodies the great principle now under consideration. 
Many persons go to God, and ask earnestly for the things 
they need, and which they know it is agreeable to his 
will to give ; but they appear to have no faith that God 
will hear them, or that he does now hear them, unless 
they have a sign, a manifestation, a visible outward 
sight or an inward audible voice, or the definite experi- 
ence of some preconceived feeling, or something (it 
makes but little difference what it is) which they ex- 
pect to use, and which they do use, as a prop for 
their faith to rest upon, instead of letting it rest 
upon the sure and blessed Word of God. O, the unut- 
terable blindness of the human mind, when left to itself! 
To look at any thing but the simple declaration of God, 
and to require any thing but that as a ground of belief, 
is to go directly out of the true path. It is, as it seems 
to us, deliberately, and of choice, to throw away those 
precious gifts which faith imparts. It is made known 
throughout the Scriptures, deliberately, repeatedly, and 
with the clearness of a sunbeam, that the life of God in 
the soul is, and must be, a life of simple faith. And 
in the exercise of this faith, accompanied with the in- 
dispensable condition of entire consecration, it may be 
regarded as certain, that, when we pray for those spir- 
itual gifts and exercises which we know to be agreeable 
to the will of God, we shall not only have them, but if 



BY THE 1AITH Ol ACCEPTANCE. &J 

in God's view, the present time is really the appropriate 
time for them, we do have them now. We do not say, 
that the specific blessing for which we ask either comes 
now, or will come hereafter, in precise accordance with 
our preconceived opinions ; but that makes no difference 
as to the fact. If there is really and absolutely no failure 
in the consecration and faith, there will be no failure in 
the fact and promptness of the divine answer. The 
answer — God's answer and not ours — will certainly come, 
in accordance with the reality of God's knowledge and 
goodness, however it may fail to come in accordance 
with the fallibility of our own previous conceptions. 

And we may add here, it is the uniform testimony 
of those who have been enabled to live the life of 
faith, that they have always found God faithful to his 
word. They have had wisdom, and humility, and grati- 
tude, and peace of spirit, and purity of heart, just as 
they have asked for it, when they have fully committed 
themselves into God's hands, and have asked fully be- 
lieving in God's promise, and in the actual bestowment 
of the blessing, in its proper time and place, according 
to the promise. 



[The following is an extract from a letter which I had the pleasure 
of receiving some years since from a pious young man, a member ot 
the Baptist church, now no longer living. I introduce it here, as il- 
lustrating, to some extent, the practical application of the doctrines of 
this chapter.] 

After speaking of his deliverance from his former 
bondage to sin, the writer adds : " I humbly trust that 
God has, in some measure, taught me how to live, from 
moment to moment, by simple faith — a truly blessed 
and glorious way. This is the highway of holiness, 
cast up for the ransomed of the Lord to walk in. Jesus 
is now a charming name. Jesus is now all, and in all, 
to me. I can now say, ' God forbid that I should glory 
save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the 
5* 



54 CONSECRATION TO BE FOLLOWED 

world is crucified unto me, and I am crucified unto the 
world.' I found all my prayers, tears, and earnest de- 
sires, unavailing. I spent days in fasting and prayer. 
At the midnight hour, and at early dawn, I prayed for 
holiness; but still I found my soul destitute of holi- 
ness, the pearl of great price. I found this, [course of 
proceeding,] however, blessed to me ; at times greatly 
so j and the power of sin was in a great measure 
broken. At length God was pleased to show me that I 
must believe that I do receive the things that I ask for. 
In a moment I saw my error. I had long been con- 
vinced, that I staggered at faith ; that unbelief was my 
great sin ; and accordingly would direct all my forces to 
this point. I tried to believe. I prayed for faith. I 
sought for faith earnestly. Sometimes it seemed that 
Christ was near me, and the prize almost within my 
reach ; and I would say in my heart and aloud, ' Lord, I 
do believe ; ' and then I would watch my heart, to see 
what the effect was. But at this time [after having 
made these various efforts] it was clearly revealed to 
me, that I was waiting for evidence, the evidence ot 
sight, before I would believe ; and that I was unwilling 
to take the evidence God had afforded, viz. his inviolable 
word and promise. I saw now, instead of praying for 
faith, [without exercising it,] instead of seeking for it, 
looking for and expecting it, [without having it,] I must 
believe. It appeared to me a reasonable command, 
' Reckon yourselves dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto 
God, through Jesus Christ our Lord ; ' and I resolved 
that I would obey this command ; for it was my impera- 
tive duty. I would believe, because God had com- 
manded it. It seemed a fearful step to take ; it was 
an hour of conflict ; but Jesus triumphed. I saw that 
all other means had failed ; and this was my only re- 
source. I accordingly entered into an engagement with 
God, that henceforth, until faith should be exchanged 
for sight, I would never doubt ; I would live in the en- 
tire surrender of my whole being to God, believing that 
he accepted the sacrifice, and that I was wholly the 



BY THE FAITH OF ACCEPTANCE. 55 

Lord's. I have found my God a faithful God ; and 
my whole soul exclaims, 'Glory, glory be to thee, O 
God, for this living way of salvation through faith in 
Christ.' May an humble, holy life praise my Redeemer 
for his unspeakable goodness to me, and an eternity 
complete and perfect what time begins ! r 



«« Jesus, the life, the truth, the way, 

In whom 1 now believe ; 
As taught by Thee, in faith 1 pray, 

Expecting to receive. 

«« Forgive, and make my nature wholf 
My inbred malady remove ; 

To perfect health restore my soul, 
To perfect holiness and loTe.' 



5b 



CHAPTER SEVENTH. 



OF ASSURANCE OF FAITH. 

It is worthy of notice, both as a religious and an his- 
torical fact, that, in a number of Christian sects, a distinct 
and well-defined modification of personal religious expe- 
rience has for many ages been known and recognized 
under the denomination of assurance of faith. 

The Confession of Faith, adopted by the Congrega- 
tional churches in England in 1658, and afterwards 
adopted, with some slight variations, by the American 
Congregational churches, in 1680, has the following ex- 
pressions, in a chapter especially devoted to this subject 
" Such as believe in the Lord Jesus, and love him in sin- 
cerity, endeavoring to walk in all good conscience before 
him, may in this life be certainly assured that they are 
in a state of grace, and may rejoice in the hope of the 
glory of God, which hope shall never make them 
ashamed. This certainty is not a bare conjectural and 
probable persuasion, grounded upon a fallible hope, but 
an infallible assurance of faith, founded on the blood 
and righteousness of Christ, revealed in the gospel, and 
also upon the inward evidence of those graces, unto 
which promises are made, and on the immediate witness 
of the Spirit." 

The phraseology, which is employed to indicate this 
form of experience, seems to have had its origin in the 
following passage in Hebrews: "Having, therefore, 
brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood 
of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath con- 
secrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh , 
and having a high priest over the house of God j let us 



OF ASSURANCE OF FAITH. 5i 

draw near with a true heart, in full assurance o* 
faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil con- 
science, and our bodies washed with pure water." Heb. 
x. 19—22. 

In the early periods of this country, when the piety 
of our ancestors was chastened and invigorated by heavy 
afflictions, the instances of assurance of faith seem to 
have been frequent. Many were the cases of individu- 
als, men of wonderful prayer and faith, who could say 
with the apostle, " I am persuaded, that neither life nor 
death, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, shall be 
able to separate us from the love of God, which is in 
Christ Jesus our Lord." And it is a matter of thank- 
fulness, that instances of full assurance, though less fre- 
quent than it is desirable they should be, are not un- 
known even now. 

The basis of this form of religious experience, as the 
name given to it itself indicates, is faith. And, in this 
respect, it stands undoubtedly on the same footing with 
every other form of true religious experience. Nor do I 
know that the faith, which is experienced in these marked 
"•nd triumphant instances of the religious life, is different 
from what is experienced in other cases, except in the 
single circumstance of degree. It is a very high degree 
of faith. The term assurance, which, in its ordinary 
acceptation, excludes the idea of doubting, is an evidence 
that it is so. The phrase assurance of faith conveys, 
in its own terms and on its own face, the idea of faith 
without doubting ; in other words, of perfect faith. 
Looking at the subject in the light of the terms used, 
I think we are at liberty to say, that assurance of faith 
is synonymous with undoubting or perfect faith. The 
instances themselves of this form of experience — whether 
they are such as are made known to us historically in the 
lives of those who are said to have lived and died in as- 
surance, or such as have come within the range and no 
tice of more recent observations — sustain this view. 
Those who are in the enjoyment of this state of mind 
are a people that have an unwavering confidence in God. 



5S OF ASSJRANCE OF FAITH. 

In the language of John Rogers, the memorable martyr 
of Smithfield, given in a short published account of his 
early religious experience, " they live by faith in the Son 
of God, above the letter, in the life ; above the form, in 
the power ; above self, in a higher self; so that they are 
no longer themselves ; but are by the grace of God what 
they are ; not doubting that they shall appear perfect 
in Christ's righteousness, being pardoned by his death, 
purged by his blood, sanctified by his spirit, and saved 
by his power." 

We have an instructive and precious illustration of the 
state of mind, denominated assurance of faith, in the 
instances of early saints mentioned in the eleventh chap- 
ter of Hebrews ; in Abel, who " offered unto God a more 
excellent sacrifice than Cain ; " in Enoch, who " had 
this testimony, that he pleased God ; " in Abraham, "who 
went out, not knowing whither he went," and who, 
" when he was tried, offered up Isaac ; " in Moses, " who 
esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the 
treasures of Egypt ; " in Gideon, Barak, David, Samuel, 
and the prophets ; of whom, as well as of others, the testi- 
mony is given, that through faith they " subdued king- 
doms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped 
the mouths of lions, of whom the world was not wor- 
thy ; " and in regard to whom it is expressly said, that 
God himself was " not ashamed to be called their 
God." 

As the subject of an assured acceptance with God is, 
in our apprehension, one of preeminent importance, and 
as it has in these latter days received less attention than 
it did formerly, and far less than it deserves, we have 
thought it might be proper to introduce here an instruc- 
tive passage from the writings of President Edwards. 
After referring to some persons, who supposed that no 
such thing is to be expected in the church of God as a 
full and absolute assurance, except in some very extra- 
ordinary circumstances, such as that of martyrdom, and 
asserting that this view is contrary to the doctrine of 
Protestants, as maintained by their most celebrated wn- 



OF ASSURANCE )F FAITH 59 

ters, he proceeds as follows : " It is manifest, that it 
was a common thing for the saints, that we have a his- 
tory or particular account of in Scripture, to be assured. 
God, in the plainest and most positive manner, revealed 
and testified his special favor to Noah, Abraham, Isaac, 
Jacob, Moses, Daniel, and others. Job often speaks of 
his sincerity and uprightness with the greatest imaginable 
confidence and assurance, often calling God to witness 
to it ; and says plainly, < I know that my Redeemer liv- 
eth, and that I shall see him for myself, and not for an- 
other.' Job xix. 25, &c. David, throughout the book 
of Psalms, almost every where speaks, without any hesi- 
tancy, and in the most positive manner, of God, as his 
God j glorying in him as his portion and heritage, his 
rock and confidence, his shield, salvation, and high tow- 
er, and the like. Hezekiah appeals to God, as one that 
knew he had walked before him in truth, and with a 
perfect heart. 2 Kings xx. 3. Jesus Christ, in his dying 
discourse with his eleven disciples, in the 14th, 15th, and 
16th chapters of John, (which was, as it were, Christ's 
last will and testament to his disciples, and to his whole 
church,) often declares his special and everlasting love to 
them, in the plainest and most positive terms ; and prom- 
ises them a future participation with him* in his glory, 
in the most absolute manner ; and tells them, at the same 
time, that he does so to the end that their joy might be 
full. John xv. 11. i These things have I spoken unto 
you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your 
joy might be full.' See also, at the conclusion of his 
whole discourse, chap. xvi. 33 : ' These things have I 
spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In 
the world ye shall have tribulation ; but be of good 
cheer, I have overcome the world.' Christ was not 
afraid of speaking too plainly and positively to them ; 
he did not desire to hold them in the least suspense. 
And he concluded that last discourse of his with a prayer 
in their presence, wherein he speaks positively to his 
Father of those eleven disciples, as having all of them 
savingly known him, and believed in him, and received 



60 O* ASSURANCE OF FAITH. 

and kept his word ; and that they were not of the world ; 
and that for their sakes he sanctified himselt ; and that 
his will was, that they should be with him in his glory ; 
and tells his Father, that he spake these things in his 
prayer, to the end that his joy might be fulfilled in them : 
ver. 13. By these things it is evident, that it is agreea- 
ble to Christ's designs, and the contrived ordering and dis- 
position Christ makes of things in his church, that there 
should be sufficient and abundant provision made, that 
his saints might have full assurance of their future glory. 

" The apostle Paul, through all his epistles, speaks in 
an assured strain ; ever speaking positively of his special 
'elation to Christ, his Lord, and Master, and Redeemer ; 
and his interest in, and expectation of, the future reward. 
It would be endless to take notice of all places that 
might be enumerated. I shall mention but three or four : 
Gal. ii. 20. ' Christ liveth in me ; and the life which I 
now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of 
God, who loved me and gave himself for me.' Phil. i. 
21. 'For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.' 
2 Tim. i. 12. 'I know whom I have believed, and I 
am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have 
committed unto him against that day.' 2 Tim. iv. 7, 8. 
' I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, 
I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for 
me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the 
righteous judge, will give me at that day.' 

" And the nature of the covenant of grace, and God's 
declared ends in the appointment and constitution of 
things in thatcovenant, do plainly show it to be God's 
design to make ample provision for the saints' having an 
assured hope of eternal life, while living here upon 
earth. For so are all things ordered and contrived in 
that covenant, that every thing might be made sure on 
God's part. ' The covenant is ordered in all things and 
sure : ' the promises are full, and very often repeated, 
and various ways exhibited ; and there are many wit- 
nesses and many seals j and God has confirmed his 
promises with an oath. And God's declared design in 



OF ASSURANCE OF FAITH. 61 

all this is, that the heirs of the promises might have an 
undoubting hope, and full joy, in an assurance of their 
future glory. Heb. vi. 17, 18. ' Wherein God, willing 
more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the 
immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath 
that by two immutable things, in which it was im- 
possible for God to lie, we might have a strong conso- 
lation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope 
set before us.' But all this would be in vain, to any 
such purpose as the saints' strong consolation, and hope 
of their obtaining future glory, if their interest in those 
sure promises, in ordinary cases, was not attainable ; 
for God's promises and oaths, let them be as sure as 
they will, cannot give strong hope and comfort to any 
particular person, any further than he can know that those 
promises are made to him. And in vain is provision 
made, in Jesus Christ, that believers might be perfect as 
pertaining to the conscience, as is signified, Heb. ix. 9, 
if assurance of freedom from the guilt of sin is not 
attainable. 

"It further appears that assurance is not only attain- 
able in some very extraordinary cases, but that all 
Christians are directed to give all diligence to make fcheir 
calling and election sure ; and are told how they may do 
it ; 2 Pet. i. 5 — 8. And it is spoken of as a thing 
very unbecoming of Christians, and an argument of 
something very blamable in them, not to know whether 
Christ be in them or no. 2 Cor. xiii. 5. ' Know ye not 
your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except 
ye be reprobates ? ' And it is implied that it is an argu- 
ment of a vory blamable negligence in Christians, if 
they practise Christianity after such a manner as to 
remain uncertain of the reward, in that 1 Cor. ix. 26 
'I therefore so run, as not uncertainly.' And, to add 
no more, it is manifest that Christians' knowing their 
interests in the saving benefits of Christianity is a thing 
ordinarily attainable, because the apostles tell us by 
what means Christians (and not only apostles and 
martyrs) were wont to know this. 1 Cor. ii. 12. ' Now 
6 



62 OF ASSURANCE OF FAITH. 

we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the 
Spirit which is of God ; that we might know the things 
that are freely given to us of God.' And 1 John ii. 3. 
•' And hereby we do knoio that we know him, if we 
keep his commandments.' And ver. 5. 'Hereby know 
we that we are in him.' Chap. iii. 14. ' We know that 
we have passed from death unto life, because we love 
the brethren.' Ver. 19. ? Hereby we knoio that we 
are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.' 
Ver. 24. ' Hereby we know that he abideth in us, by 
the Spirit which he hath given us.' So chap. iv. 13, 
and chap. v. 2, and ver. 19." * 

Such are the strong and well-sustained statements of 
one, in whom Congregationalists have been accustomed 
to place a high degree of confidence. But this form of 
Christian experience, and under this specific name, has 
not been limited to one denomination. Instances of 
assurance of faith appear to have been frequent among 
the United Brethren or Moravians, especially in the 
early periods of their religious history. Mr. Wesley, 
the founder of the Methodist societies, relates, in the 
Journal of his Life, that he visited, in the year 1738, 
the United Brethren or Moravians at Hernhuth, the 
place where they were first collected and organized into 
a society. At that time, as well as in later periods of 
his life, Mr. Wesley was a careful and philosophic ob- 
server of men ; and was particularly interested to notice 
and to analyze the varieties of Christian experience and 
character. And accordingly, he took pains to converse 
privately and very intimately with a number of the 
Moravian Brethren, who appeared to be leading men 
both for their intellectual capacity and their piety ; and 
in his Journal has recorded what he learned from them. 
We will here give an abstract of some of these state- 
ments ; particularly of those parts which may be con- 
sidered as illustrating historically the doctrine and the 
nature of assurance of faith, retaining precisely the 
sentiment, and, as far as possible, the expression. 

* Edwards on he Affections, Part li. 



OF ASSURANCE OF FAITH. D^ 

Christian David. — Having given us to understand, 
that in early life he was a Roman Catholic, this person 
proceeds to say, " I was much troubled at hearing some 
people affirm, that the pope was Antichrist. I read the 
Lutheran books written against the Papists, and the 
Popish books written against the Lutherans. I easily 
saw that the Papists were in the wrong ; but not that 
the Lutherans were in the right. I was in the city of 
Berlin when I renounced the errors of Popery. After this 
I led a very strict life ; read much and prayed much. I 
did all I could to conquer sin : yet it profited not. I 
was still conquered by it. At length, not knowing 
what to do, I enlisted as a soldier. I had a Testament 
and a hymn book ; but in one day both my books were 
stolen. This almost broke my heart. After six months 
I left the army, and went to Gorlitz in Saxony. There 
I fell into a dangerous illness. For twenty weeks I 
could not stir hand or foot. Pastor Sleder came to me 
every day j and from him it was, that the gospel of 
Christ came first with power to my soul. 

" It was then I found the peace I had long sought in 
vain. Not indeed all at once ; but by degrees. For I 
could not immediately believe I was forgiven, because 
of the mistake I was then in concerning forgiveness. I 
thought I was to feel sin in me no more, from the time 
it was forgiven. Therefore, although I had the mastery 
over sin, yet I often feared it was not forgiven, because 
it still stirred in me ; and at some times thrust sore at 
me, that I might fall. I did not then see, that the being 
justified by faith is widely diiferent from having a full 
assurance of faith. I remembered not, that our Lord 
told his apostles before his death, ' Ye are clean' [or 
forgiven ;] whereas it was not till many days after it, 
that they were fully assured, by the Holy Ghost then 
received, of their reconciliation to God through his blood. 

" After some years I plainly perceived, that full 
assurance of faith was a distinct gift from justifying 
faith, and often not given till long after it ; and that 
justification does not imply, that sin should not stir in 



64 OF ASSURANCE OF FAiTH. 

us 3 but only that it should not conquer. And now first it 
was that I had full assurance of my own reconciliation 
to God, through Christ. For many years I had had the 
forgiveness of my sins, and a measure of the peace of 
God ; but I had not till now that witness of his Spirit, 
which shuts out all doubt and fear. In all my trials I 
had always a confidence in Christ, who had done so 
great things for me. But it was a confidence mixed 
with fear. I was afraid I had not done enough. There 
was always something dark in my soul. But now the 

CLEAR LIGHT SHINED." 

Michael Linner. — The account of the religious 
experience of this individual, as given by Mr. Wesley, 
is so concise that it will not be necessary to abridge it. 
It is as follows: " The church of Moravia was once a 
glorious church. But it is now covered with thick 
darkness. It is about sixteen years ago that I began to 
seek for light. I had a New Testament, which I con- 
stantly read ; upon which I often said to myself, ' This 
says, I ought to be humble, and meek, and pure in 
heart. How comes it that I am not so ? ' I went to the 
best men I knew, and asked, ' Is not this the word of 
God ? And if so, ought I not to be such as this requires, 
both in heart and life ? ' They answered, ( The first 
Christians were such; but it was impossible for us to 
be so perfect.' This answer gave me no satisfaction. I 
knew God could not mock his creatures, by requiring of 
them what he saw it was impossible for them to perform. 
I asked others, but still had the same answer, which 
troubled me more and more. 

" About fourteen years ago, I was more than ever 
convinced that I was wholly different from what God 
required me to be. I consulted his word again and 
again, but it spoke nothing but condemnation ; till at 
last I could not read, nor indeed do any thing else, 
having no hope and no spirit left in me. I had been in 
this state for several days, when, being musing by 
myself, these words came strongly into my mind : ' God 
so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, 



OF ASSURANCE OF FAITH. 65 

to the end that all who believe in him should not perish, 
but have everlasting life.' I thought, 'All ? ' Then I 
am one. Then he is given for me. But I am a sinner. 
And he ' came to save sinners.' Immediately my bur- 
den dropped off, and my heart was at rest. 

" But the full assurance of faith I had not yet ; nor 
for the two years I continued in Moravia. When I was 
driven out thence by the Jesuits, I retired hither, and 
was soon after received into the church. And here, 
after some time, it pleased our Lord to manifest himself 
more clearly to my soul, and give me that full sense of 
acceptance in him, which excludes all doubt and fear. 

" Indeed, the leading of the Spirit is different in dif- 
ferent souls. His more usual method, I believe, is to 
give, in one and the same moment, the forgiveness of 
sins, and a full assurance of that forgiveness. Yet in 
many he works as he did in me ; giving first the re- 
mission of sins, and, after some weeks, or months, or 
years, the full assurance of it." 

Zacharias Neusser. — "I was born on the borders 
of Moravia ; and was first awakened by my cousin Wen- 
sel, who soon after carried me to hear Mr. Steinmetz, a 
Lutheran minister, about thirty English miles off. I 
was utterly astonished. The next week I went again ; 
after which, going to him in private, I opened my 
heart, and told him all my doubts ; those especially 
concerning Popery. He offered to receive me into com- 
munion with him, which I gladly accepted of; and in 
a short time after, I received the Lord's supper from 
his hands. While I was receiving, I felt Christ had 
died for me. I knew I was reconciled to God ; and all 
that day I was overwhelmed with joy, having those 
words continually on my mind, ' This day is salvation 
come to my house: I also am <i son of Abraham.' This 
joy I had continually for a year and a half, and my 
heart was full of love to Christ. 

" After this, I had thoughts of leaving Moravia. 1 
was convinced it would be better for my soul. Yet 1 
would not do it, because I got more money here than 1 
6* 



36 OF ASSURANCE OF FAITH. 

could elsewhere. When I reflected on this. I said to 
myself, • This is mere covetousness. But if I am covet- 
ous, I am not a child of God.' Hence I fell into deep 
perplexity ; nor could I find any way to escape out of it. 
In this slavery and misery I was for five years ; at 
the end of which I fell sick. In my sickness my 
heart was set at liberty, and peace returned to my 
soul. I now prayed earnestly to God to restore my 
health, that I might leave Moravia. He did restore it 
and I immediately removed to Hernhuth. After I had 
been here a quarter of a year, the count * preached one 
day upon the nature of sanctification. I found I had 
not experienced what he described, and was greatly 
terrified. I went to my cousin Wensel, who advised 
me to read over the third, fourth, and fifth chapters of 
the Epistle to the Romans. I did so. I had read them 
a hundred times before,* yet now they appeared quite 
new, and gave me such a sight of God's justifying the 
ungodly, as I never had before. On Sunday I went to 
church at Berthorldsdorf ; and while we were singing 
those words, wir glauhen auch in Jesum Christ, — • We 
believe also in Jesus Christ,' — I clearly saw him as my 
Savior. I wanted immediately to be alone, and to pour 
out my heart before him. My soul was filled with 
thankfulness ; and with a still, soft, quiet joy, such as it 
is impossible to express. I had full assurance that ' my 
Beloved ' was ■ mine,' and e I ' was • his ; ' which has 
never ceased to this day. I see by a clear light what is 
pleasing to him, and I do it continually in love. I re- 
ceive daily from him peace and joy ; and I have nothing 
to do but to praise him." 

Arvid Gradin, a Swede, born in Dalecarlia. His 
statement is as follows: " Before I was ten years old, 
I had a serious sense of religion, and great fervor in 
prayer. This was increased by my reading much in the 
New Testament ; but the more I read, the more earnestly 
I cried out, ' Either these things are not true, or we 
are not Christians.' About sixteen, my sense of religioi 

* Coun< Zinzendorf 



OF ASSURANCE OF FAITH. 67 

began to decline, by my too great fondness for learning, 
especially the Oriental tongues, wherein I was instructed 
by a private preceptor, who likewise did all that in him 
lay to instruct me in true divinity. 

" At seventeen, I went to the University of Upsal, 
and a year or two after was licensed to preach. But at 
twenty-two, meeting with Arndt's ' True Christianity,' I 
found I myself was not a Christian. Immediately I left 
off preaching, and betook myself wholly to philosophy. 
This stifled all my convictions for some years; but 
when I was about twenty-seven, they revived, and con- 
tinued the year after, when I was desired to be domes- 
tic tutor to the children of the secretary of state. I now 
felt I was ' carnal, sold under sin,' and continually strug- 
gled to burst the bonds, till (being about thirty-one 
years old) I was unawares entangled in much worldly 
business. This cooled me in my pursuit of holiness ; 
yet for a year and a half my heart was never at peace. 
Being then in a bookseller's shop, I saw the account of 
the church at Hernhuth. I did not think there could 
be any such place, and asked th" bookseller if that was 
a real account. His answer, l that it was no more than 
the plain truth,' threw me into deep thought, and fervent 
prayer that God would bring me to that place. I went 
to the secretary, and told him I did not design to stay 
at Upsal, having a desire to travel. He said, he had a 
desire his son should travel, and was glad of an oppor- 
tunity to send him with me. I was grieved, but knew 
not how to refuse any thing to my patron and bene- 
factor. Accordingly, we left Upsal together, and, after 
a year spent in several parts of Germany, went through 
Holland into France, and so to Paris, where we spent 
another year. But I was more and more uneasy, till I 
could be disengaged from my charge, that I might re- 
tire to Hernhuth. In our return from France, my 
pupil's elder brother, returning from Italy, met us at 
Leipsic. I immediately wrote to his father, and having 
obtained his consent, delivered him into his hands. 

"April 23, 1738, I came hither. Here I was in 



68 OF ASSURANCE OF FAITH. 

another world. I desired nothing but to be cleansed 
inwardly and outwardly from sin, by the tlood of Jesus 
Christ. I found all here laying the same foundation. 
Therefore, though I did not think with them in all 
points of doctrine, I waived these, and singly pursued 
reconciliation with God through Christ. 

li On the 22d of May last, I could think of nothing 
but, 'He that beheveth hath everlasting life.' But I 
was afraid of deceiving myself, and continually prayed 
I might not build without a foundation. Yet I had a 
sweet, settled peace, and for five days this scripture was 
always in my thoughts. On the 28th, those words of 
our Lord were strongly impressed upon me, ' If ye, be- 
ing evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, 
how much more shall your heavenly Father give the 
Holy Ghost to them that ask him ! ' At the same time, 
I was incessantly carried out to ask that he would give 
me the witness of his Spirit. On the 29th, I had what I 
asked of him, namely, the plerophoria, or full assur- 
ance of faith, which is repose in the blood of Christ ; 
a firm confidence in God and persuasion of his favor ; 
serene peace and steadfast tranquillity of mind, with a 
deliverance from every fleshly desire, and from every 
outward and inward sin. In a word, my heart, which 
before was tossed like a troubled sea, was still and quiet, 
and in a sweet calm." 

We w r ould add here, that the United Brethren, or Mo- 
ravians, in the early periods of their existence as a sepa- 
rate denomination, were inclined to the view, that there 
is no true and saving faith without assurance of faith ; 
and that justification and sanctification are either the 
same thing, or are so nearly allied that there is no true 
evidence of the former without an entire experience of 
the latter. According to the testimony of Christian Da 
vid, of whose personal experience some account has been 
given, they were accustomed to inquire of those, who 
proposed themselves for full membership in the church, 
whether they were assured, beyond, all doubt, that they 
were the children of God ; in what manner and at what, 



OF ASSURANCE OF FAITH. 69 

time they received that assurance ; whether they were 
so renewed in the image of God, that all sin, or " the 
whole body of sin," as he expresses it, was destroyed in 
them. And if the person could not satisfactorily answer 
questions of t'lis kind, and to this effect, he asserts, " We 
judged that he had no true faith ; nor would we per- 
mit any to receive the Lord's supper among us, till he 
could." On further inquiry into the subject, and addi- 
tional experience of the manner of God's dealing with 
his people, they abandoned this view as in some impor- 
tant respects incorrect, and adopted the doctrine of faith 
as existing in different degrees j and recognized the faith 
of forgiveness, in connection with which a person may 
be pardoned in the first instance, as well as that of assur- 
ance, which is generally later in one's experience, and 
results in purity of heart and inward victory. Assur- 
ance of faith, however, continued to be a leading and 
most important doctrine ; and every one was expected 
to strive earnestly for its attainment. And probably 
among no denomination of Christians, in proportion to 
their whole number, have more frequent instances of this 
ennobling and triumphant experience been found, than 
among the United Brethren. 

But it is proper to say, that the doctrine and the per- 
sonal experience of assurance of faith have not been lim- 
ited to the Christian denominations which so far have 
been particularly referred to. A careful inquiry would 
abundantly show, that this important doctrine, which 
recognizes a state of mind existing in sweet purity and 
peace, in reverential and affectionate communion with 
God, in freedom from doubts and fears, in constant 
prayer, in victory over every known and voluntary trans- 
gression, in the baptism and in-dwelling of the Holy 
Ghost, has been admitted, defended, and preached by 
Episcopalians and Presbyterians, and probably by a 
number of other sects of Christians, as well as by Con- 
gregational ists and Moravians. And many among the 
dead, who yet speak in their recorded memorials, and 
some, we trust, among the living, can bear a convincing 



70 OF ASSURANCE OF FAITK. 

and experimental testimony to its truth and precious- 
ness. It would be a pleasing task, if our limits would 
allow, to repeat here, in the case of individuals both dead 
and living, the delightful facts which warrant and con- 
firm this declaration. Saying nothing, however, of 
many other instances, which readily present themselves 
to my recollection, it seems to me, that the pious Arch- 
bishop Leighton was a man that, in the later periods of 
his life at least, enjoyed assurance of faith ; and on the 
principle which he himself has laid down, viz., that love 
will be in proportion to faith, that he possessed what 
may very properly be called an assured or perfected state 
of love. His American biographer speaks of him in the 
following terms, which, decided and emphatic as they 
are, will probably command the assent of candid and 
serious persons, who have thoroughly studied the arch- 
bishop's religious character. 

After remarking that his piety was eminently a med- 
itative piety, he proceeds to say : " Whether in the 
midst of this world's scenes, or in perfect retirement, 
Leighton's thoughts were always fixed upon the world 
whither he was tending. Religious meditation seemed 
the involuntary habit of his soul ; and in this was ex- 
emplified the profound truth of his own remark, that 
1 the pure love of God maketh the spirit pure and sim- 
ple, and so free, that without any pain and labor it can 
at all times turn and recollect itself in God.' If duty 
drew him from seclusion, it was to watch and pray lest 
he should enter into temptation ; and amidst the most 
absorbing earthly business, if his thoughtful face were 
of a clear transparency, and you could have looked 
through the casement of his soul far into the depths of 
its retirement, you would there have seen the high pur- 
poses of God still ripening and fulfilling, and the process 
of growing holiness advancing as certainly and uninter- 
ruptedly as it would in the most sacred oratory of private 
devotion. He thought that in this world the Christian's 
white robe would be very likely to be entangled and de- 
filed, if he wore it too flowingly. 



OF ASSURANCE OF FAITH. 71 

* He would not soil those pure ambrosial weeds 
With the rank vapors of this sin-worn mould.' 

" £ Our only safest way,' said he, l is to gird up cur af- 
fections wholly. When we come to the place of our 
rest, we may wear our long white robes at full length 
without disturbance ; for no unclean thing is there ; yea, 
the streets of that New Jerusalem are paved with gold.' 

" He was a stranger and a pilgrim on the earth, and he 
felt that he was such. He had no more motive to par- 
take in the toils and anxieties of this life, than an angel 
would feel, commissioned on some errand of mercy to 
the dwelling-place of mortals, who stays only till he may 
perform the mandate of his sovereign, and is glad to re- 
turn from the atmosphere of earth to the light of his 
Father's countenance, to his home of glory in the skies. 
Though present in the body, he was absent in the spirit, 
with his Lord and Master. Amidst his fellow-mortals 
in all the concerns of this life, he walked and acted like 
a man in a dream — a dream, from which he was then 
only to awake, when he passed into the blissful presence 
of his ascended Savior. / shall be satisfied when I 
awake with thy likeness. And though into all the busi- 
ness, which duty required of him, he entered with a grave 
intensity to fulfil the apostle's injunction, yet all this 
while his soul was conversing in heaven, for he looked 
with the eye of faith on the things unseen and eternal. 
In the emphatic words of Paul, he was dead, and his 
life was hid with Christ in God. He was altogether 
Christ's ; His image was always before him j His words 
always invited him to glory. 

1 1 hear a voice, you cannot hear, 
Forbidding me to stay ; 
I see a hand, you cannot see, 
Which beckons me away.' " * 

In conclusion, I would make an additional remark, 
which seems appropriate to a full view of the subject. 
It is probably true, that persons enjoying assurance ot 

See Cheever's Ed. of the Select Works of Archbishop Leighton 



72 



OF ASSURANCE OF FAITH. 



faith, in those denominations of Christians where that 
phraseology is expressive of the highest form of Chris- 
tian experience, have often exhibited a degree of hesi- 
tancy and reluctance in recognizing themselves as " sanc- 
tified persons," as " holy persons," as "perfected in 
love," as " saints," and the like. Nor have others, who 
have been members of the same denominations, been in 
the practice, except occasionally, of employing such ep- 
ithets and expressions in relation to them. Conscious ot 
their physical and intellectual imperfections, knowing 
their liability to errors of judgment, and their consequent 
liability to mistaken and relatively wrong feelings, beset 
every where, and sometimes deeply afflicted by heavy 
temptations, and feeling that they needed every moment 
the application of Christ's blood, it is not altogether sur- 
prising, especially in connection with some accessory in- 
fluences, that there should have been some hesitation, 
both in themselves and in others, in making a personal 
application of the epithets and expressions in question ; 
but that such expressions, however commendable a due 
degree of modesty and reserve always is, are proper, and 
that they ought, injustice, on their appropriate occasions, 
to be applied to such persons, I cannot doubt. Persons 
who are in the assurance of faith, are not merely " pro- 
fessors of religion," as the modern expression is ; but are 
Christians ; and that too in the highest sense of the term. 
They have laid themselves upon the altar of God ; they 
have separated themselves from every known iniquity : 
they can say without hesitation that they have no desire 
but for God's glory ; they are continually guided by the 
Holy Spirit ; they have been enabled to appropriate the 
great and precious promises ; in their moral nature, and 
in their affections, they bear distinctly the image of 
Christ ; in a word, they have devoted their whole being to 
God, and nothing is so dreadful to them as a violation of 
his will, even in the smallest thing. With such disposi- 
tions and purposes of heart, I cannot see why they may 
not be described, in the form of expression which is some- 
times employed, as "perfected in love ; " and why thev 



OF ASSURANCE OF FAITH. 73 

may not as properly be called " sanctified," " holy ones," 
or "saints,'-' as many others, to whom these expressions 
nave been applied, both in later and in earlier times. 
But the propriety of these remarks will perhaps more 
fully appear by a reference to the doctrine contained in 
one of the following chapters, where the precise relation 
between assurance of faith and perfection of love is par- 
icularly pointed out. 
7 



74 



CHAPTER EIGHTH. 



RELATION OF CONSECRATION TO ASSURANCE OF 
FAITH. 

I* can hardly be necessary to say any thing, in addi 
tion to what has already been said, in illustration of the 
great importance of that state of mind which is denom- 
inated assurance of faith. He who truly desires the 
blessed experience of holiness of heart will necessarily 
attach a high value to the possession of assurance j be- 
cause holiness, in the gospel or evangelical sense of ,the 
term, is obviously identical with perfection of love. And 
perfection of love, as we shall have occasion to notice 
more particularly in a subsequent chapter, is the natural 
result of perfection or assurance of faith. 

In respect to the nature of assurance of faith, we may 
remark here, after an examination of various statements 
and illustrations on the subject, that it appears to consist 
essentially in two things ; first, in a general but un- 
wavering confidence in God's character, administration, 
and promises ; and, secondly, in a confident belief of 
our personal acceptance with God through Christ. And 
accordingly, it is not limited to the second particular, as 
some persons may be inclined to suppose j but the sec- 
ond element, viz., that of a particular or personal accept- 
ance, which probably, in the popular view of it, is the 
striking or characteristic trait, has its basis in a prevail- 
ing or assured faith of a more general character. 

With these remarks we proceed to enter on the prin- 
cipal topic of the present chapter, viz., the relation ex- 
isting between consecration and assurance. We have 
already had occasion, particularly in the third chapter, to 
refer to the relation existing between consecration and 



RELATION OB CONSECl ATION. 75 

faith in general. Faith, (especially that faith which is 
appropriating and purifying,) and the commission of 
known sin, cannot go together. They are mutually an- 
tagonistical, and destructive of each other. Just so far 
as consecration, which implies a fixed determination, 
with divine assistance, to resist sin in all its forms, actu- 
ally exists, and no farther, is the way open for the prin- 
ciple of fait 1, especially in its appropriating character, to 
enter and to take effect in the soul. The Savior him- 
self has explicitly taught us, (John v. 44,) that those 
who, in the spirit of self-seeking, pursue worldly honor, 
and not the honor which cometh from God only, are 
unable, in the religious sense of the expression, to be- 
lieve. 

(1.) But proceeding from the more general view of 
the subject to the particular and specific one now under 
consideration, we remark, in the first place, that assur- 
ance of faith, like all other forms of religious faith con- 
sidered in distinction from natural faith, is the gift of 
God. No one has it without the divine blessing. But 
here, as in every other case of God's dealings, we see 
no other course but to take the position as almost a self- 
evident one, that there are reasons in the Divine Mind fot 
every occurrence or fact, and also for every modification 
of the divine conduct ; and that God, in imparting the 
immense blessing of assurance of faith, does not and 
cannot act accidentally. In other words, there is some 
antecedent fact, some preparatory condition, in connec- 
tion with which this great blessing takes place. Not a 
meritorious condition, it is true ; nothing which lays 
God under obligation ; but still a preparatory antecedent 
or condition actually existing in the view of the Divine 
Mind, and as an indispensable part of the divine arrange- 
ment. And that condition, as the matter presents itself 
to our view, is consecration. Not a consecration in 
part, but in whole ; a solemn and a permanent giving up 
of the whole being to God. If with any inferior degree 
of consecration there may be an inferior degree of faith 
thw cannot be a perfection or assurance of faith, with- 



76 RELATION OF CONSECRATION 

out a consecration corresponding to it. It must, there- 
fore, be a consecration, such as was described in the 
chapter on that subject, both of body and of spirit, both 
of persons and of possessions, entire, permanent, and 

IRREVOCABLE. 

(2.) We proceed to mention, secondly, some con 
siderations in support of this view, viz., that entire con- 
secration is, and must be, the antecedent condition of 
entire or full assurance. Assurance of faith, as the 
phrase is commonly employed, by writers, and as we have 
already had occasion to notice, is used not only to ex- 
press an entire and perfect confidence, on the part of 
those who possess it, in the character and administration 
of God ; but also in their own personal acceptance with 
God through Christ. They have no doubt, on the one 
hand, of the truth, mercy, and justice of God ; nor have 
they any doubts, on the other, that they are the beloved 
children of God; and that, in entire consistency with his 
truth and justice, they are fully accepted of Him. Such 
is the nature of their assurance. But we hazard noth- 
ing in saying, that it is impossible for a man to believe, 
with assurance of faith, that he is fully accepted of God, 
( which is one of the leading elements, tliough not the 
only one, in the state of mind denominated assurance,) 
while he is knowingly sinning against Him j which, ot 
course, he must be regarded as doing, so long as he re 
mains unwilling to consecrate himself. It is impossible 
among other things, because it is contrary to the natural 
operations of the human mind in all analogous cases. It 
is just as impossible, (repeating here an illustration of 
the subject which has been already employed,) as it is 
for us to believe that a man whom we are injuring and 
ill-treating every day, and whom we also know to be 
acquainted with our evil conduct, can regard us as a 
friend. There is something, in such a case, in the na- 
ture of a moral contradiction. The two things cannot 
go together. 

And furthermore, it is impossible, because such a be- 
lief, viz., that God does fully ar.d cordially accept of us. 



TO ASSURANCE OF FAITH. 77 

while vvc arc withholding the entire consecration of our 
oodies and our spirits, and are therefore knowingly sin ■ 
ning against him, evidently implies a conviction, on the 
part of the person who is the subject of the belief, that 
God is not necessarily displeased and offended with sin- 
a view of things alike contrary to reason, the character ol 
God, and the Scriptures ; and therefore not reasonably 
to be expected in any one. 

We are constrained, therefore, to draw the conclusion, 
(a conclusion so obvious in itself that it clearly does not 
require much array of argument,) that assured confi- 
dence in the character and administration of God, com- 
bined with the additional element of assured faith in our 
present acceptance with Him, cannot exist except in 
connection with entire consecration. In other words,* 
we must be conscious of doing all that we can do in the 
fulfilment of God's holy will ; of separating ourselves 
f rom every voluntary transgression ; of discharging, with 
divine aid, every known duty ; of laying all our powers, 
possessions, and gifts, deliberately upon the divine altar, 
and without any intention of ever resuming them. 
The man who is truly set apart to God in consecration 
strives and prays, continually, that he may not, in the 
smallest thing, offend his heavenly Father. He would 
infinitely prefer death to known transgression, even the 
slightest transgression. 

In this state of mind it is easy to see that there is a 
natural basis for the exercise of faith, particularly the 
faith of personal acceptance, in the highest degree. In 
such a state of things, when the obstacles which pre- 
viously existed are removed, the soul naturally turns to 
(rod; naturally relies upon Him. It becomes easy to 
believe, when before it was found very difficult. The 
Holy Spirit enters and operates, without obstruction, in 
a mind which is in this position. The promises are read- 
ily received. Such a soul feels that it would be sin to 
doubt ; and thus, with the divine blessing, it rises supe- 
rior to every degree of hesitation, and enters into the res! 
of assurance. 



78 RELATION OF CONSECRATION 

(3.) Perhaps it should be added further, in order to 
meet an inquiry naturally arising in the minds of some, 
that faith in the highest degree, or assurance of faith, al- 
though we have reason to think it never fails to follow 
the act of consecration sooner or later, in the case of 
minds not unfavorably affected by some physical or 
mental disorder, does not always immediately follow such 
consecrating act. There are various incidental causes, 
which sometimes operate to check and diminish the ex- 
ercise of assurance of faith for a time, notwithstanding 
the dedicating ok consecrating act ; such as a general 
ignorance on the subject of faith, and particularly pre- 
vious habits of unbelief, the unfavorable influence of 
which does not always cease at once. And it is not ir- 
rational to suppose, that there may also be reasons exist- 
ing in the mind of God, but unknown to us, why he 
should see fit to delay temporarily the bestowment of 
this great gift, especially in that particular which relates 
to our personal acceptance and safety. Accordingly, it 
is said in Hebrews x. 36, 37, u Ye have need of pa- 
tience, that, after ye have dotie the will of God, ye might 
receive the promise ; for yet a little while, and he that 
shall come will come, and will not tarry.'''' But God 
does not delay, even for the "yet a little while," arbi- 
trarily and without reason, although we may be ignorant 
what that reason is. I believe it is a common and cor- 
rect opinion, that the delay exists only so long as God 
sees best for the person himself. In other words, he de- 
lays in order to wean him more effectually from all reli- 
ance upon any thing but simple, childlike trust in the 
Divine Word ; and thus to prepare him for the reception 
of the blessing under the most favorable circumstances. 
There is perhaps some hidden tendency, which is 
scarcely known to the individual himself, such as a dis- 
position to look for some specific sign or manifestation, 
or something of that nature, which remains to be smitten 
and crucified ; and which, there is no doubt, will be 
crucified and taken out of the way, as soon as the person 
Himself learns, in connection with God's continued deal* 



iO ASSURANCE OF FAITH. 79 

ings with him, where and what it is. But I do not sup- 
pose that God will thus withhold himself, even for a 
moment, from one who is fully prepared for him in all 
respects; and who, in connection with the fact of entire 
consecration, is truly willing, irrespective of joys and 
sorrows, of human aid and opposition, of the light ot 
vision and of the terrors of darkness, to live in that sim- 
ple and mysterious way of faith alone. — " Come ye 
out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord ; 
and touch not the unclean thing ; and I will receive 
you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my 
sons and my daughters, saith the Lord Almighty! " 

And permit me here to inquire of the individual, who 
has had the patience and kindness to accompany the 
writer thus far, whether he has been able to apply the 
truths and principles which have been brought to his 
notice? Do you believe that God requires you to be 
holy ; that he has made provision for your sanctincation 
in the present life ; and that there is any reasonable pros- 
pect, with divine assistance, of attaining to this desirable 
state ? Have you felt, with the sincerity and depth of 
feeling appropriate to the case, the obligation to be holy ? 
Relying upon the sanctifying results of that same great 
expiation on the cross, which is the foundation of your 
hope of pardon for past sins, have you deliberately and 
decidedly brought all, and laid all upon the altar of God, 
as a sacrifice offered and consecrated to him ? Have you 
believed in God, that he is true to his word, which de- 
clares him to have an open arm for the returning sinner ; 
and that, from the moment of your laying all upon his 
altar, you have been, and are now, accepted ? Is your 
faith not only of that personal or appropriating character, 
which applies God's word and promise to yourself, but 
is it a strong faith ? Is it, as the faith i/f every Christian 
ought to be, the faith of assurance? — like that of the 
individual, who has already been referred to, who sealed 
the truth of his hope by dying in the fire at the stake, 
" above self in a higher self, above the form in th< 
power, above tire letter in the life ! " 



■/ 



811 RELATION OF CONSECRATION TO ASSURANCE OF FAIT ill 

Permit me to say, my brother, in the spirit of sincere 
humility and kindness, that the way in which you are 
called to walk is what it is represented to be, in the 
Scriptures, "a strait and a narrow one." But it is a 
way which must lead somewhere ; and it is obvious, 
also, that it must be a way which differs from every 
other way. I appeal to you to say, under the guidance 
of an enlightened Christian conscience, whether it is not 
in the direction, or very nearly in the direction, indica- 
ted by these questions ? Most solemnly and deliberately 
do we affirm our conviction, that, in order to know God 
by an inward communion with Him, all must be laid 
upon the divine altar with a renunciation without lim- 
its ; and that he who brings the offering must believe, 
with a faith unwavering, that God accepts it. Is it in 
your power, relying either upon Scripture or upon reason, 
to indicate any better way ? If not, then delay no long- 
er ; cease to feed on husks, that you may eat spiritual 
bread ; renounce the life of self, that you may possess 
the life of universal love ; be all to God, that He may 
be all to you. 



I sat me down in earth's benighted vale, 

And had no courage and no strength to rise ; 

Sad, to the passing breeze I told my tale, 

And bowed my head and drained my weeping eyes, 

But Faith came by, and took me by the hand ; 

And now the valleys rise, the mountains fall : 
Welcome the stormy sea, the dangerous land ! 

With Faith to aid me, I can conquer all. 



81 



CHAPTER NINTH. 



RELATION OF ASSURANCE OF FAITH AND PERFECT 

LOVE. 

In the preceding chapter, we have endeavored to ex- 
plain the relation of Consecration to Assurance of Faith. 
But assurance also, as well as consecration, has its rela- 
tionships. In particular, assurance or perfection of faith, 
and perfection of love, are closely and inseparably con- 
nected. And it becomes an interesting, and in many 
respects an important inquiry, What is the precise rela- 
tion which they sustain to each other ? 

(1.) Accordingly, we proceed to remark, in the fiist 
place, that they hold the relation of antecedence and 
sequence. Assurance of faith naturally and necessarily 
precedes assurance or perfection of love. We are aware 
that some theologians, and theologians, too, not wanting 
in powers of thought, have exhibited a disposition to re 
verse this order, and to place love first in time ; thus 
making love the foundation of faith, and perfection ol 
love the foundation of assurance or perfection of faith 
But it must be acknowledged, it is difficult to see how 
such a position of things as this can commend itself 
either to the light of reason or to the plain language 
and statements of the Scriptures. How is it possible, 
looking at the subject in the light of nature merely, it 
we have no confidence in God, no faith in his character, 
that we should love him ? What are the principles of 
natural love ? Undoubtedly, this important affection of 
the human heart has its principles or laws both of origin 
and progress ; and it becomes, therefore, a proper and 
interesting inquiry, in what way it arises, and in what 
way it supports itself, in common life. And, in answer 



8 * RELATION OF ASSURANCE OF FAITH 

to this inquiry, an obvious remark is, that, with the ex- 
ception of its purely instinctive action, it always has its 
foundation in confidence or faith in the object beloved. 
If we have no confidence in another's character, no faith 
in his truth, his honor, or his gratitude, but, instead of 
believing in him as possessed of good and interesting 
traits, are obliged to regard him as characterized by what 
is mean, false, and evil, — it seems to be impossible, on 
natural principles, that we should love him. It is true, 
we may, in certain respects, be interested in such a per- 
son ; we may exercise towards him the love of pity or 
benevolence ; but we cannot exercise that form of love 
which alone is appropriate to God, viz., the love of com- 
placency. Faith, therefore, must precede love. And 
this, which is the law of natural love, is also the law of 
religious love. And I think it is obvious, from what 
has been said, that we may go farther, and say, that 
faith not only sustains to love the relation of antece- 
dence, but sustains also the relation of a cause ; not 01 
an absolutely efficient cause, which would exclude vol- 
untariness of action, but of what is variously called a 
conditional, occasional, or preparatory cause. So that 
we may not only say that, in point of fact, and in the 
order of nature, faith goes before love ; but may prop- 
erly add that, without the antecedence of faith, love 
cannot exist. 

(2.) As connected with what has been said, we ob 
serve further, that it is a law of the affection of love, not 
only that it will follow faith, but that it will be in pro- 
portion to faith. It will be recollected, that we are 
speaking now of the love of complacency, of which God 
and all holy beings are the appropriate objects ; and not 
of the mere love of pity or benevolence, of which other 
beings, and those of a very different character, may be 
the objects. We repeat, therefore, that love not only 
depends on faith, in some measure as an effect depends 
on a cause, but, corresponding also in amount or degree, 
Jt will be in proportion to faith. If faith is weak, the 
corresponding exercise of love will be proportionally 



4ND PERFECT LOVE. 83 

weak ; if faith is strong, the degree of love will be pro- 
portionally strong ; if there is an assurance or perfection 
of faith, there will be an assurance, that is, an assured 
s.tate or perfection of love. This is the connection, if 
we have a right view of it, and the permanent law of 
the two states of mind. 

And this relationship, and this permanent law of the 
tfates of mind under consideration, is abundantly recog- 
ized in theological writers, as well as in the Scriptures, 
lrch bishop Leighton, after remarking, in his commen- 
ary on Peter, that there is an inseparable intermixture 
>f love with belief, and that they are mutually strength- 
.ned the one by the other, proceeds to observe as fol- 
ows : "Many directions, as to the means of begetting 
»nd increasing this love of Christ, may be here offered ; 
rod they, who delight in number, may multiply them ; 
out surely this one will comprehend the greatest and 
best part, if not all of them : Believe, and you shall 

LOVE ; BELIEVE MUCH, AND YOU SHALL LOVE MUCH. La- 
bor for strong and deep persuasions of the glorious 
things which are spoken of in Christ, and this will com- 
mand love." 

(3.) We remark again, that these two states of 
mind, the relation of which to each other has thus been 
briefly indicated, are identical in their results, in relation 
to sin. It is entirely evident that perfect love, when 
actually in exercise, is inconsistent with the commission 
of any known transgression. It is the same — as must be 
evident, not only from the statements of those who have 
been in this state of mind, but also from a slight reflec- 
tion on the subject itself — with assurance of faith. 

Assurance of faith, considered as expressive of a defi- 
nite religious state of mind, has reference both to God 
and to the subject of it ; to God, among other things, as 
true to his word both of threatening and of promise : 
and to the subject of it, as being fully forgiven and ac- 
cepted in God through Christ. It is not possible, that the 
man, who sins voluntarily and knowingly against God, 
tftyl, at the same time of thus sinning, have full and as- 



84 RELATION OF ASSURANCE OF FAITH 

sured faith in either of these respects. Full faith in God, 
as true to his promises and threatenings, vould, either 
through the impression of strong love ana gratitude, or 
of terrible fear, extinguish all desire and purpose of 
knowingly doing wrong. And full faith in God, as fully 
forgiving and receiving us to his favor, is obviously and 
utterly inconsistent with the fact of knowingly sinning 
against him at the same time. He, therefore, who is in 
the enjoyment of assurance of faith, although he may be 
the subject of various involuntary infirmities and errors, 
which result from our fallen condition, and which re- 
quire confession and atonement, will never voluntarily 
and knowingly do any thing against the will of his 
heavenly Father. And these views, it is hardly neces- 
sary to add, are entirely in accordance with those pas- 
sages of Scripture which not only speak of faith as 
peculiarly acceptable to God, but as working by love, 
and as purifying the heart. 

Dr. Increase Mather, who held an eminent rank for 
learning and piety among the early Congregational min- 
isters of New England, has the following expressions in 
a sermon on assurance, which agree with what has now 
been said : "They that pretend to assurance of the love 
of Christ, and yet have no care to observe some of his 
holy commandments, do but deceive their own souls, 
and the Lord will reject their confidences. Where 
there is an eminent assurance, if built on Scripture 
promises, there is eminent holiness." 

Mr. Ebenezer Erskine, a pious minister of the Scotch 
Presbyterian church, of the last century, has the fol- 
lowing statements, in his Discourse on Assurance of Faith, 
which obviously involve the idea of the incompatibleness 
of faith and the commission of known sin : " It is im- 
possible for a person, living in the love and practice of 
sin, to draw near to God with the confidence of faith ; 
for, in the very act of drawing near, the heart is purified 
by faith in the blood of Jesus ; or, as it is expressed in 
the latter clause of the text, [referring to Heb. x. 22,] 
he hath his heart sprinkled from an evil conscience, and 



AND PERFECT LOVE. 85 

his body washed with pure water. In believing, we 
cease to do evil, and learn to do well. Faith, appre- 
hending the mercy of God in Christ, turns the soul from 
sin unto God ; so that it is as impossible for a person to 
draw near to God, with the confidence of faith, while he 
lives in the love and practice of sin, as it is for a person 
to come to you, and go from you, at the same instant 
of time. While the heart is in league with sin, it is 
departing from the Lord. How, then, in this case, [that 
is to say, when the heart is in league with sin,] can 
the sinner draw near to God ? Far less can he draw 
near with assurance of acceptance." 

I might refer here to the statements of the Rev. Andrew 
Gray, also, many years since, an acceptable minister of 
the Scotch church. In one of his published sermons 
having relation to the subject under consideration, he 
gives a number of evidences or marks of assurance ; one 
of which has reference to the connection existing be- 
tween assurance of faith and the sanctification of the 
heart, or holiness. He maintains, by argument and by 
reference to the Scriptures, that purity of heart, or holi- 
ness, is the natural result of assurance of faith ; that those 
who possess such assurance are a people especially set 
apart, are " bought with a price," and are no longer at 
their own disposal ; and that persons who profess to have 
'assurance of faith, but without a corresponding holiness 
of heart and life, are under a great delusion. 

In view of what has been said, as our limits do not 
admit of a more minute investigation of the subject, we 
come to the conclusion, that the doctrine of assurance 
of faith, and the doctrine of perfect love, although in 
reality distinct, may yet safely and properly be regarded 
as but different views of one great phasis of experi- 
mental Christianity, viz., that in which the soul is with- 
out present condemnation, and is in the experience of 
free, accepted, and full communion with God. Or per- 
haps we may express the same thing, and rather more 
definitely, by saying, although they are distinct, they 
arc so closely connected, that the one. wherever t 
8 



86 RELATION OF ASSURANCE OF FAITH 

exists, necessarily involves the other ; and that either 01 
them involves the idea of evangelical holiness. If there 
is assurance of faith, it is necessarily followed by per- 
fection of love ; and the existence of perfect love — a state 
of mind which is otherwise expressed by the terms and 
phrases, sanctification, Christian perfection, and evan- 
gelical holiness — necessarily implies the antecedent 
existence of assurance of faith. 

But it will be asked, perhaps, by some, whose early 
habits of thought and association will naturally prompt 
the inquiry, If there be this close relation between as- 
surance of faith and perfect love, so that they may be 
regarded as, in effect, identical and interchangeable, why 
not retain and employ the former mode of expression, to 
the exclusion of any other ? Undoubtedly, particular 
denominations of Christians, and individuals, also, influ- 
enced by peculiarities in theological views, by early 
associations, or some other cause, will, on some oc- 
casions, give a preference to those forms of expression 
which most readily harmonize with such peculiarities 
and associations. Nor do we suppose that this is to be 
regarded as ground of complaint. Nevertheless, there is 
no necessity of our being limited to one mode of ex- 
pression ; and in the present case, where the inward ex- 
perience, although always essentially the same, presents 
itself in different aspects, — sometimes as perfect faith, 
and sometimes as perfect love, — there is evidently some 
advantage in not being so. Those who know, by per- 
sonal experience, what this state of mind is, will appre- 
ciate this remark, among other things, because a famil- 
iarity with different forms of expression aids very much, 
on many occasions, in opening the way to a free and 
united communion with those who are in the same state 
of mind in other Christian denominations. They feel 
the need of this communion ; they cannot do otherwise 
than seek it and find it ; and on both sides it is a great 
satisfaction to understand the blessed import of the ex- 
pressions which they reciprocally use. And besides, as 
T anguage is the natural sign or expression of things, il 



AND PERFECT LOVE. 87 

seems obvious that there is something due, on the part 
of language itself, to that natural and eternal relation- 
ship which exists in the case under consideration. Faitr 
and love are twin sisters, born together, and forever in- 
separable ; and the hearts where they have entered and 
taken possession, by whatever names of sect they may 
be characterized, are as closely allied and as dear to 
each other as the divine and heavenly graces which 
animate them. He who has assurance of faith can 
never disclaim the relationship which he bears to him 
who has perfection of love ; and language, whose office 
it is to suit the word to the thing with entire impar- 
tiality, should never be wanting in acknowledged terms 
both to express the things themselves, and also to recog- 
nize and sanction the relationship and union between 
them. 



" Jesus, I my cross have taken, 

All to leave and follow thee : 
Naked, poor, despised, forsaken, 

Thou from hence my all shalt be 
Perish every fond ambition, 

All I've sought, or hoped, or known . 
Yet how rich is my condition 

God and heaven are still my own. 

1 Let the world despise and leave me ; 

They have left ray Savior, too ; 
Human hearts and looks deceive me ; 

Thou art not, like them, untrue. 
And while Thou shalt smile upon me, 

God of wisdom, love, and might, 
Foes may hate, and friends may scorn 

Show thy face, and all is bright." 



88 



CHAPTER TENTH. 

CONSIDERATIONS ON THE LIFE OF FAITH. 

" The just shall live by faith." " The life which 
I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son ol 
God." These passages, and others like them, involve 
the important truth, that the Christian life is a life of 
faith, in distinction from a life of open vision. 

There are various modifications of faith ; all of which 
are important in their appropriate places; and all of 
which, it is quite probable, have a connection more or 
!ess intimate with the life of faith. But the form o, 
faith which is especially necessary, in order to live the 
life of faith, is that which makes God present, moment 
by moment, in any and all events which take place. 
The want of this form of faith is one great source oi 
evil. It is owing to a defect here, in a great part at 
least, that many persons, who believe to some extent in 
God, and in Christ, and perhaps in their own final ac- 
ceptance, nevertheless make but little progress in sanc- 
tification. Adhesive in a general faith which looks at 
things in masses, and rejecting that which is par- 
ticular, they necessarily place God at a great "dis- 
tance ; while, on the other hand, that faith which is 
specific and particular brings him near, makes him pres- 
ent and intimate in all our concerns, and establishes 
between him and our own souls a perpetual and happy 
relationship. We hope we shall not be misunderstood. 
We admit that other modifications of faith are important 
in their place. We know them to be so. But we can- 
not doubt that the true life of God in the soul must be 
sustained in a very considerable degree, by means of 



LIFE OF FAITH. 89 

hat specific form of faith which recognizes God as 

PRESENT, NOT ONLY IN EVERY MOMENT OF TIME, BUT AS 
PRESENT, EITHER PERMISSIVELY OR CAUSATIVELY, IN 
EVERY EVENT THAT TAKES PLACE. 

(1.) Proceeding now to illustrate this general view 
m some particulars, we remark, in the first place, that 
those who are in the exercise of that form of faith 
which makes God present in every thing, will perceive 
and recognize the hand of God in every thing which re- 
lates to themselves , viz., in the preservation of their lives 
and health, in their affairs of business, in their sufferings 
and joys, in the strength or weakness of their intellect- 
ual powers, in their opportunities of acquiring knowl- 
edge, in their opportunities of discharging duty, in their 
inward and outward temptations, in every thing, whether 
it relates to mind, body, or estate, or whether it relates 
to suffering or to action, which in any way concerns 
themselves, or which in any way concerns those with 
whom they are closely connected by family ties. 

(2.) We remark, in the second place, that if we are 
in the exercise of that kind of faith which makes God 
present in all things, we shall be enabled to see dis- 
tinctly his presence and his operative hand in the move- 
ments and acts of those who entertain hostile disposi- 
tions towards us, and who may properly be denominated 
our enemies. Notwithstanding the suffering to which 
the cruel and unjust course of our enemies often exposes 
us, we shall find no difficulty, if we are in the exercise 
of this form of specific faith, in recognizing and be- 
lieving the presence of God in that, as in other things. 
The mind is in that delightful position which enables 
it to think much more of God than of the instrument 
which he employs. Looking up to the great Author, it 
accepts from his hand, with acquiescence and thankful- 
ness, the cup of bitterness ; while it has mingled emo- 
tions of disapproval and pity (compassion being the 
predominant feeling) for the subordinate agent. But it 
is the distinct and unwavering perception that God is 
present, and that it is God who offers it to our lips. 
8 * 



90 CONSIDERATIONS ON THE 

which most of all changes and sweetens the draught. 
It is inexpressibly delightful, in all the trials that come 
upon us, from within and without, to realize, without 
any misgivings of spirit:, that the rod, whatever may be 
the subordinate agency, is in the hands of our heavenly 
Father. 

(3.) Proceeding to a further application of these 
views, we remark again, it is obvious, from the Scriptures, 
that we are required to be " diligent in business ; r 
" whatever our hand findeth to do, to do it with oui 
might;" "to provide for our own households;" and 
undoubtedly every person must, on Christian principles, 
regularly and conscientiously accomplish the appropriate 
work of his hands, whatever it may be. 

But here also, as in every thing else, we must recognize 
the presence and agency of God. We must do what- 
ever God requires us to do, and must recognize him 
alike in the fulfilment and the disappointment of our 
efforts. We must not think too much of the inferior 
instrumentality of the rain and the sunshine, of the 
turning of the furrow, and of the planting of the seed, 
although these are important in their place ; but placing 
these, and all other secondary acts and causes, compara- 
tively under our feet, must endeavor to gain a higher 
position, and to stand in nearer proximity to the Primi- 
tive Agency. " He that observeth the wind shall not 
sow ; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap " 
God works in connection with second causes, but not in 
dependence on them. They are his servants, and not 
his masters ; a sort of dumb expositors of his purposes 
and will, but in no sense, though blind man seldom looks 
above them, the originating and effective cause. "In 
the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold 
not thy hand ; for thou knowest not whether shall pros- 
per, either this or that, or whether they both shall be 
alike good." * Blessed is the man who, as he goes 
about his daily business, tending his flocks with Abra- 

* Ecclesiastes xi. 4, 6". 



LIFE OF FAITH. 91 

ham, or ploughing his fields with Elisha, can see God 
in trees, and flowers, and running brooks, in hills, and 
valleys, and mountains, in clouds and in sunshine ; and 
can connect him, as an intelligible and effective agency, 
with every thing that has relation to the time and the 
place, the nature and the results, of his labors. 

(4.) It is important, also, in the experience of a holy 
life, to extend the principle of the recognition of God's 
presence and agency to all public and national events, 
as well as to those of a more private nature. In repub- 
lican governments, and in all governments of a constitu- 
tional character, there are almost constantly before the 
public questions of great interest, which, when viewed 
out of their relation to the Divine Mind, are calculated 
to excite in the Christian, as well as in others, a degree 
of anxiety. When he beholds conflicting parties and 
nations, when he witnesses the wild political commo- 
tion and uproar which have characterized almost every 
age of the world, the heart of the good man would faint 
within him, if he did not know and feel that the hand 
of the Lord is in it. And yet the faith even of Chris- 
tians, when exercised in relation to public events, is 
exceedingly weak ; so much so as hardly, in the com- 
parative sense, to have an existence. It is very different 
in this matter from what it should be. Nothing but a 
strange and blind unbelief could thus exile God from a 
participation in national movements. There has no po- 
litical event ever taken place — there has been no fall or 
rise of empires, no building up or overthrow of parties, 
no aggressions of war or pacifications of peace — without 
the presence of the hand of the Lord, either for good or 
for evil, for punishment or reward. Such is the doc- 
trine of the Scriptures, as well as of reason. Their lan- 
guage is, "The kingdom is the Lord's; and he is the 
governor among the nations." Ps. xxii. 28. " By me 
kings reign, and princes decree justice." Prov. viii. 
15. God says of Cyrus, the Persian king and conqueror, 
,l He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure : 
even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built, and tr 



92 CONSIDERATIONS ON THE 

the temple. Thy foundation shall be laid." Isa. xliv 
28. And he adds, in the next chapter, a remarkable 
passage, which shows that kings and rulers, who have 
no realizing sense of the divine superintendence and 
presence, may yet be the instruments in his hands for 
the accomplishment of his purposes. " For Jacob, my 
servant's sake, and Israel, mine elect, I have even called 
thee by thy name ; / have surnamed thee, though thou 
hast not known me." 

O that we might learn the great lesson (the lesson 
absolutely indispensable to him who would experience 
the highest results of the inward life) of beholding God, 
either in his direct efficiency, or his permissive and con- 
trolling guardianship, as present in all things, whether 
high or low, of whatever name or nature. Without 
taking this view of his presence, we deprive ourselves 
of that great centre where the soul finds rest. We are 
tossed and agitated by passing events. Every thing is 
perplexed, mysterious, and hopeless. 

In conclusion, we would remark, that a life of faith is 
necessarily a life of prayer. It must be obvious that 
the faith, which makes God present at all times and in 
all events, and yet without inspiring a sentiment of 
communion and sympathy with the Divine Mind, would 
be of no avail. When, therefore, we speak of believ- 
ingly recognizing the presence of God in all things, we 
do not mean a recognition in which there shall be no 
feeling, no sentiments of filial dependence, no gratitude 
and love. Far from it. God is made present, by faith, 
in order to be loved and communed with. The spirit of 
true communion with God — which is only another name 
for the spirit of prayer — naturally flows out, as it 
seems to us, of the spirit of constant and specific faith, 
and naturally and necessarily forms an important part of 
the life of faith. True prayer always has relation to 
the existing state or tendency of the soul ; or rather it 
is, for the time being, the very state of the soul itself, 
and nothing else. And the existing state of the soul, it 
is hardly necessary to say, always and necessarily has a 



LIFE OF FAITH. 93 

connection, more or less intimate, with the existing de- 
velopment of things. Connecting, therefore, the exist- 
ing state of the soul with the existing state of things 
around it, and the development of things with the pres- 
ence and agency of God, we are at once brought into 
correspondence and communion with God, in relation to 
the things in which we are now most especially inter- 
ested, and concerning which God is most pleased to 
know our filial trust, and to hear our humble supplica- 
tions. Accordingly it is, in our apprehension, a true 
doctrine, that every returning day brings with it its 
special burden of prayer; in other words, something 
which it is especially proper for us to introduce to the 
notice of our heavenly Father, for his direction and 
blessing. And this is true, not only of every day, but 
of every hour, and every moment ; and thus it is that 
those who live the life of faith may not only be said to 
recognize God in every thing, and to be in communica- 
tion with him in every thing, but to look for guidance 
and the divine blessing in every thing, and •' to prav 



[The following extract from a letter on Experience is copied from 
a tract published in Boston in 1810, and entitled " The Life of Faith : 
a Letter found in the Study of the late Rev. Mr. Belcher, of New Eng- 
land, (probably Rev. Samuel Belcher, of Newbury, Mass.) Being an 
answer to the question, How to live in this world, so as to 

MVE IN HEAVEN."] 

" I will tell you familiarly what God hath done foi 
my soul, and in what train my soul keeps towards him- 
self. I am come to a conclusion to look after no great 
matters in the world, but to know Christ and him cru- 
cified. I make best way in a low gale. A high spirit 
and a high sail together will be dangerous, and therefore 
I prepare to live low. I desire not much, and pray 
against it. My study is my calling ; so much as tends 
that way (without distraction) I am bound to plead for 



94 CONSIDERATIONS ON THE 

and more I desire not. By my secluded retirements, I 
have the advantage to observe how every day's occasions 
insensibly wear off the heart from God, and bury it in 
self, which they who live in care and cumbers cannot be 
sensible of. I have seemed to see a need of every thing 
God gives me, and want nothing that he denies me. 
There is no dispensation, though afflictive, but either 
in it, or after it, I find that I could not be without it. 
Whether it be taken from, or not given to me, sooner or 
later God quiets me in himself without it. I cast all 
my concerns on the Lord, and live securely on the care 
and wisdom of my heavenly Father. My ways, you 
know, are, in a sense, hedged up with thorns, and grow 
darker and darker daily ; but yet, I distrust not my good 
God in the least, and live more quietly, in the absence 
of all, by faith, than I should do, I am persuaded, if 1 
possessed them. I think the Lord deals kindly with 
me, to make me believe for my mercies before I have 
them ; they will then be Isaacs, sons of laughter. The 
less reason hath to work on, [that is, the more entirely 
reason is perplexed, and is at a loss what measures to 
adopt,] the more freely faith casts itself on the faithful- 
ness of God. I find that, while faith is steady, nothing 
can disquiet me ; and when faith totters, nothing can 
establish me. If I tumble out amongst means and 
creatures, I am presently lost, and can come to no end ; 
but if I stay myself on God, and leave him to work in 
his own way and time, I am at rest, and can sit down 
and sleep in a promise, when a thousand rise up against 
me. Therefore, my way is not to cast beforehand, but 
to walk with God by the day. Sufficient unto the day 
,s the evil thereof. I find so much to do continually 
with my calling and my heart, that I have no time to 
puzzle myself with peradventures and futurities. As 
for the state of the times, it is very gloomy and tem- 
pestuous. But why do the heathen rage ? Faith lies 
at anchor in the midst of the waves, and believes the 
accomp ishment of the promise, through all these ovei- 
turning confusions and seeming impossibilities. 



LIFE OF FAITH. 95 

" Upon this God do I live, who is our God forever, 
and will guide us un* > death. Methinks I lie becalmed 
in his bosom, as Luther in such a case, [viz., when beset 
with troubles.] I am not much concerned ; let Christ 
see to it. I know prophecies are now dark, and the 
books are sealed, and men have all been deceived, and 
every cistern fails ; yet God doth continue faithful, and 
faithful is he that hath promised, who will do it. I 
believe these dark times are the womb of a bright 
morning. 

" Many things more I might add ; but enough. O 
brother ! keep close to God, and then, a little of the 
creature will go a great way ! Maintain seoret commu- 
nion with God, and you need fear nothing. Take time 
for duties in private ; crowd not religion in a corner ot 
the day. There is a Dutch proverb, ' Nothing is got 
by thieving, nor lost by praying.' Lay up all your 
good in God, so as to be able to overbalance the sweet- 
ness and bitterness of all creatures. Spend no time 
anxiously in forehand contrivances for this world. 
They never succeed. God will turn his dispensations 
another way. Self-contrivances are the effects of unbe- 
lief. I can speak by experience. Would men spend 
those hours they run out in plots and contrivances, in 
communion with God, and leave all to him, by believ- 
i?ig, they would have more peace and comfort. I leave 
you with your God and mine. The Lord Jesus be with 
your spirit." 



" God of my life, whose gracious power 
Through varied deaths my soul hath led 

Or turned aside the fatal hour, 
Or lifted up my sinking head, 

" In all thy ways thy band 1 own, 
Thy ruling Providence 1 see ; 

Assist me still my course to run, 
And still direct my paths to thee. 



96 



CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 



OF A LIFE OF SPECIAL SIGNS AND MANIFESTA 
TIONS, AS COMPARED WITH A LIFE OF FAITH. 



The views which have been taken of the life of 
faith will aid us in forming a proper estimate of a ten- 
dency, which is often noted among the followers of 
Christ, to seek for signs, tokens, and manifestations, as 
the basis, in part at least, of their full reconciliation 
with God, and of a holy life. We are aware that this 
tendency arises, in some cases, from ignorance ; but there 
can be no doubt that it has its origin chiefly in that 
dreadful malady of our nature, the sin of unbelief. 
But considered in any point of view, and as originating 
in any cause whatever, we cannot regard it as otherwise 
than wrong in principle, and as exceedingly injurious 
in its consequences. In reading, not long since, the 
Memoirs of the pious and devoted Lady Maxwell, oui 
attention was directed to a consecration of herself to 
God, at an early period of her life, conceived in terms, 
which, as it seemed to us, a more matured judgment, 
and a more advanced experience of God's faithfulness, 
such as she had in the later periods of her life, would 
not have entirely approved. The portion of this inter- 
esting act of consecration, to which reference is here 
particularly made, is as follows : " If thou, Lord, wilt 
manifest thy dear Son to me, clear up my evidence of 
my interest in him, shed abroad his love at all times in 
my heart, and let me feel him ever drawing me to 
himself with the cords of love, and in times of trial 
make his strength perfect in my weakness, and not de- 
sert me in duty nor in temptation ; if thou, Lord, wilt 



OF A LIFE OF SIGNS AND MANIFESTATIONS. 97 

do these great things for me, then, in thy strength, 1 
give myself unto thee, soul, body, and spirit, in the 
bonds of an everlasting covenant never to be forgotten." 
It seems to be a fair inference, from these expressions, 
that this pious lady had an earnest desire, at the period 
of making this consecration, to devote herself entirely 
to God ; but that she had not faith enough, or perhaps 
we might properly say, she was afraid to commit 
herself without reserve into the hands of her heavenly 
Father ; which is the true idea of consecration, and 
without which no act of consecration can be of any 
value. In other words, she had not faith enough to 
make this important surrender or renunciation of self 
(a renunciation which is so indispensable to a full realiza- 
tion of the inward life) without some special testimony 
of his favor, some inward sign, some specific feeling ; 
something, probably not very definitely represented even 
to her own conceptions, which should assure her, ante- 
cedently to the full surrender on her part, of the divine 
acceptance. 

Many persons, who have seen and have corrected the 
error, and are now living the true life of faith, can testi- 
fy that, in the earlier periods of their experience, they 
have hesitated and been perplexed in a similar manner. 
4nd as the subject is practically one of great impor- 
tance, it may be proper to introduce here some instances 
and illustrations, in addition to what has already been 
said. " My anxiety," says a religious person, whose 
experience is given in a recent publication, u for ad- 
vancement in holiness increased. My mind became 
exceedingly burdened. 1 was convinced that I must 
make a new and entire consecration of myself to God, 
yet shrank from such a total surrender. I sometimes 
felt, that if the Lord would make some communication 
to my soul, as a pledge that he was ready to meet me, 
and would grant sufficient grace in case I entered into 
such solemn covenant to be his, I could then venture to 
engage to live henceforth for him alone ; but, through 
weakness of faith, / dared not venture forward upon 
9 



98 OF A LIFE OF SIGNS AND MANIFESTATIONS^ 

his naked promise. No such aid to my faith, however, 
was granted. I saw that the surrender must be un- 
conditional." 

Says another writer in the same work, " I continued 
seeking for light on this subject, when one night, after 
a severe struggle with unbelief, I covenanted with the 
Lord, that, if he would keep me from all sin through 
the next day, I would then believe that such a state 
might be enjoyed on earth. All was now r calm. I rose 
in the morning in the same peaceful frame of mind, 
and at the close of the day I could not but acknowl- 
edge that I had enjoyed something to which I had 
ever before been a stranger. An incident occurred 
which at any other time would have excited feelings 
of anger ; but it did not, in the least, disturb the deep 
quiet which reigned within. The time had arrived for 
me to fulfil my covenant promise. But alas ! unbelief 
triumphed ; and I desired another sign, which was, the 
continuation of this full salvation for one week. I 
thought this manifestation of saving grace would put 
the doctrine beyond any further doubt. But I had had 
sufficient evidence. I had persisted in unbelief; and 
my request was not granted." * 

The signs, tokens, or manifestations, which both those 
who are seeking religion in the first instance, and those 
who are aiming at its highest attainments, not unfre- 
quently ask for, either in express words or by the hid- 
den language of the secret tendency of the mind, are 
various ; but the most of them may probably be brought 
together under three heads or classes. The first class 
are those which are external ; sometimes an object of 
vision addressed to the outward sight; sometimes a 
sound addressed to the outward hearing ; or some re- 
markable combination of circumstances in relation to 
our persons or families ; or something peculiar and stri- 
king in God's providences ; or perhaps the suggestion of 

* Guide to Christian Perfection, vol. i. p. 266; vol. ii. p. 173. See 
also farther illustrations of this subject, vol. ii pp. 31, 202; vol h 
p. 221 ; and vol. iv. p. 184. 



AS CJ31PARED WITH * LIFE OF FAITH. 99 

passages of Scripture of a certain character ; or the per- 
sonal appearance of the Savior, revealed either in his 
earthly or his celestial body, and made present to the 
outward vision. The manifestation, which was made to 
Paul in his journey to Damascus, when he saw a bright 
light shining from heaven, and he^-d a voice, and per- 
haps also that of Stephen, when he saw the heavens 
opened and beheld the Savior at the right hand of God, 
were of this class. The second class are those which 
are internal, in distinction from those which are ex- 
ternal, but still are essentially of a perceptive or in- 
tellectual nature ; that is to say, are not necessarily 
attended with an effect upon the heart. A person, for 
instance, may inwardly and intellectually have a re- 
vealed perception of heaven, of angels ascending and 
descending, of bright and rejoicing companies of the 
saints, or of any thing else which is a matter of knowl- 
edge and revelation, whether it has relation to the 
world of happiness or the world of woe. Such mani- 
festations are not seen outwardly or by the outward 
sense ; but when they are really from God, are made 
known by a divine communication operating in the in 
tellectual part. And this is done so distinctly as entire 
ly to control belief; though it is not necessarily attended 
with holy emotion. We have an instance of this in 
the apostle Paul, when, without knowing whether he 
was in the body or out of the body, he was caught up, 
as it were, into the third heavens, and beheld things 
unutterable. 

The third class are peculiarities in emotive and af- 
fective experience ; in other words, the existence of 
specific emotions and affections of a peculiar kind ; such 
as the experience of sorrow in a very intense degree, or 
a peculiar strmgth and fulness of joy, or a deep and 
silent awe, or an indefinable melting of the heart in 
rapturous ecstasies. And not unfrequently we charac 
terize the emotion or affection, which we seek for as 
the sign or testimony of our good estate, by its likeness 
to the alleged experience of some of our religious ac- 



100 OF A LIFE OF SIGNS AND MANIFESTATIONS, 

quaintances. In other words, we desire a form of ex* 
perience like theirs ; not only resembling it in its nature, 
but resembling it in its modifications or peculiarities. 
It is the peculiarity, the specific character of the thing, 
which in these cases, more than the thing itself inde- 
pendently of the peculiarity, seems to constitute the sign. 

But whatever the specific thing may be, there can be 
no doubt as to the general fact, viz., that a special expe- 
rience of some kind, either inward or outward, either 
in the perceptions or the feelings, is often desired and 
sought after, and is sometimes made an absolute condi- 
tion, both by those who are seeking religion in the first 
instance, and by those who are seeking the additional 
grace of sanctification, before they are willing to trust 
themselves in the hands of God, to be wholly and unre- 
servedly his. In order to exercise faith in God, they 
must have something to build upon besides God him- 
self — a striking proof of the deep distrust and unbelief 
3f the human heart, and how blind man is when left 
to himself, and how surely he would rush to his own 
destruction. 

I recollect to have read the Life of a pious woman, a 
member of the Presbyterian church, (and it is by no 
means the only one which has come within my notice,) 
which seemed to me to be an illustration of what has 
been said. I refer to the Life, published many years 
since in Scotland, of Miss Elizabeth Cairns. There is 
reason to think, from the statements which are given in 
this interesting Memoir, that the Spirit of God operated 
upon the mind of this devout person from early life. 
But not having received suitable instructions in the 
nature of true religious experience at an early period, 
she seems to have been led very thoroughly into the 
system of living by special manifestations, and those 
high emotions which are apt to be attendant on them. 
When she had manifestations, (which is perhaps the 
best terra we can find, though not an unexceptionable 
one, for the peculiar form of her experience,) especially 
if they were remarkable ones she was exceedingly 



AS COMPARED WITH A LIFE OF FAITH. 101 

happy. She regarded them as the tokens of the divine 
favor ; and it was but natural that she should rejoice. 
But when they were withdrawn, a mental reaction 
almost invariably took place, and she became exceed- 
ingly miserable ; so that her life exhibited an unpleasant 
alternation of elevations and depressions — of the joyful 
and of the terrific — of rapture and of wretchedness. In 
her seasons of desertion, as she regarded them, her 
temptations were great, and almost overwhelming. It 
almost seemed to her darkened view as if the very being, 
as well as the presence and glory, of God was blotted 
out of existence. Some good people, who sympathized 
in her desires after holiness, endeavored to instruct her 
in a better way ; but she had so long lived upon special 
and powerful illuminations, which she had been in the 
habit of regarding as the only sure signs and testimo- 
nies of her good estate, that she found it difficult to un- 
derstand their views, and still more difficult to put them 
in practice. She speaks particularly, in her Memoir, of 
an experienced Christian friend, who, perceiving the 
temptations and wretchedness that followed her seasons 
of high manifestations, endeavored to aid her. " This 
person told me," she relates, " that I must part with that 
life, or I must go out of the world ; as also she told me 
of a life of faith a believer lived by in this world ; and 
that sensible manifestations were reserved for eternity. 
And by similitude she taught me, that Christ did with 
his young converts as a woman doth with her child 
when it is young. She carries it in her arms, and leads 
it by the hands ; brt when it comes to more strength, 
she lets it walk alone, and take a fall, and rise again ; and 
yet her love is still the same. So doth Christ with his 
people. In their first entry into his way, he manifests 
much of his love to them ; but when they come to more 
experience, he withdraws sense from them, that they 
may be taught to walk by faith ; but yet his love is 
still the same to them. This," she adds, " was good 
advice; but alas! I knew not how to take it." At 
3 later period of her life she remarks, " I did not know 
q # 



102 OF A LIFE OF SIGNS AND MANIFESTATIONS, 

a life of faith ; but still pursued a life of sense, foolishly 
thinking, with Peter, to dwell in the mount of mani- 
festations. O the great mistake I was in ! For although 
the Lord had graciously visited me with many earnests 
and pledges of his love, and thereby satisfied me as to 
my interest in the common salvation, yet I did not 
know that I should have submitted to his will, and put 
a blank in his hand as to more extraordinary al- 
lowances." 

The consequence of this mistake was, as has already 
been intimated, that this pious individual was exposed 
to many internal troubles. She gives us to understand, 
that, in the intervals of her more extraordinary experi- 
ences, she felt the ragings of sin in her ; was in deep sor- 
row ; had at times but little access in prayer ; was tempted 
to impatience, atheism, and self-destruction ; — and we 
may very properly ask here, as she had made up her mind, 
ignorantly perhaps, but yet truly, to walk by special and 
extraordinary manifestations and illuminations rather 
than the simple and self-crucifying, the humbling and 
purifying way of faith, — the way in which prophets, 
patriarchs, and apostles trod, — could we well expect it to 
be otherwise ? When we arrive at the true and funda- 
mental element of a holy life, we shall find that God 
has but one way. And we may be assured, that He 
will honor and bless his own method of holy living, 
and no other. 

The remarks which have been made upon this case 
vvill apply very well, in many particulars, to the religious 
experience of Miss Anthony, formerly a resident of 
Newport, in Rhode Island, and a member of the Con- 
gregational church. Her life was written by Dr. Hop- 
kins, a man well known for his theological labors. It 
exhibits the same traits, though not in an equal degree, 
with those which characterize the Memoir which has 
just been remarked upon. It is well known, that there 
are many memoirs of pious persons which are almost 
wholly made up of marked and wonderful manifesta- 
tions, sometimes purely intellectual, and consisting of 



AS COMPARED WITH A LIFE OP FAITH. 103 

what may be called spiritual revelations or discoveries, 
and sometimes accompanied with great joys and rap- 
tures ; but which are generally characterized by being 
followed by long intervals of darkness, temptation, and 
oftentimes of sin. Accordingly, the whole life of the 
person, in many narratives of this kind, is a series of alter- 
nations of these very diverse states ; whereas a life of sim- 
ple and childlike faith in God's word, based upon an unre- 
served and permanent consecration, keeps the soul, as it 
were, in equilibrium ; converting darkness into light, 
removing rocky and precipitous obstructions, and making 
all things even. It is certainly an important question, 
whether such written and published memoirs as have 
been mentioned are so useful reading for the religious 
community as they are generally supposed to be. I 
have often been deeply impressed with the conviction 
that they tend, in some important respects, to give an 
erroneous view of the true nature of the religious life. 
They do not sound to me like the life of Paul, and still 
less like the life of the Savior. And yet they are gen- 
erally regarded as more interesting, and are undoubtedly 
much more exciting, than the lives of those eminent 
Christians who persevere in the even and delightful 
tenor of their way, thinking but little of themselves 
and much of Christ, but little about their own happiness 
and much about the glory of God ; like Thauler, of the 
fourteenth century, and the author of the " Imitation of 
Christ ; " like Fenelon and Leighton, of later times ; like 
Edwards and Wesley, who lived, and labored, and suf- 
fered, in the fulfilment of a constant consecration, and in 
the exercise of a constant trust in their heavenly Father. 
(1.) In view of what has been said in this chapter, 
we remark, in the first place, that God does not design 
that men, in the present life, should live by means of 
specific signs, testimonies, or manifestations, but by sim- 
ple faith alone. The great design of the gospel, in its 
practical and final result on man, seems to be to restore 
and firmly establish the lost principle of faith, as the 
true and only available basis of the religious life. And 



104 OF A LIFE OF SIGNS AND MANIFESTATIONS, 

there seems to be a necessity that it should be so. From 
the nature of the case, there never can be any true 
reconciliation and harmony between God and his crea- 
tures, until they can so far have confidence in him as to 
receive his declarations, and to draw their life, as it were, 
from the words which have proceeded out of his mouth. 
In any other way of living, whatever may be the nature 
of their inward or outward experiences, they live at 
variance with the order and the plans of God j out of the 
line of his precepts; and of course, in the same degree, 
out of the range of his blessings. And hence it is that 
we find the remarkable expressions of the Savior to the 
doubting disciple, " Because thou hast seen me, thou 
hast believed. Blessed are they that have not seen, 
and yet have believed." 

And we desire here, as a matter of some importance, 
to lay down a practical test or rule on this subject. It 
is this : Whenever we desire a specific experience, 
whether inward or outward, whether of the intellect or 
the affections, antecedently to the exercise of faith, we 
are necessarily, in so doing, seeking a sign, or testimony, or 
something, whatever we may choose to call it, additional 
to the mere declaration and word of God. There is obvi- 
ously a lingering distrust in the mind, which jostles us 
out of the line of God's order ; which is not satisfied 
with his way of bringing the world into reconciliation 
with himself; and under the influence of which we are 
looking round for some new and additional witness for 
our faith to rest upon. In other words, although we may 
not be fully conscious of it, we desire a sign. In the 
language of the experienced Mr. Fletcher, of Madely, 
" we want to see our own faith ; " a state of mind which, 
as it requires sight to see our faith with, in other words, 
a basis of faith additional to that which God has already 
given, is necessarily inconsistent with and destructive 
of faith. This simple test will aid very much in re- 
vealing to us the true state of our hearts. We repeat it, 
therefore, that we may in general know whether the 
experience which we are seeking is, or is not, of the 



AS COMPARED WITH A LIFE OF FAITH. 105 

natuie of a. testimony or sign required of God as the 
condition of our faith and obedience, by the mark which 
has been mentioned, viz., when we seek for it, whatever 
it is, antecedent to that exercise of faith which is 
willing to leave what we desire, and every thing which 
has relation to us, submissively in the hands of God. 

(2.) We remark again, that the life of specific signs, 
testimonies, and manifestations, is not only evil by being 
a deviation from the way of faith, but is evil also by 
keeping alive and cherishing the selfish principle, instead 
of destroying it. He who seeks to live in this manner, 
instead of living by simple faith, and who thus shows a 
secret preference of specific experiences, modelled after 
his* own imaginations of things, to that pearl of great 
price, which is found in leaving all things with God, 
necessarily seeks to have things in his own way. The 
way of faith is the way of self-renunciation ; the hum- 
bling and despised way of our personal nothingness, 
The way of signs, testimonies, and manifestations, is 
the way of one's own will ; and therefore naturally 
tends to keep alive and nourish the destructive principle 
of se fishness. The lives of those who attempt to live 
in this way, with some variations in particular cases, may 
be regarded as an evidence of the general correctness of 
these remarks. They seem like children brought up in 
an unwisely indulgent manner j not unfrequently full of 
themselves, when they are gratified in the possession 
of their particular object, and full of discouragement, 
peevishness, and even of hostility, which are the natural 
results of the workings of self, when they are dis- 
appointed. 

(3.) We observe, in the third place, that another evil 
of that system of the religious life which is based upon 
signs and upon preconceived and prescribed manifes- 
tations and experiences, is, that it exposes persons to al- 
ternations and reverses of feeling, which are injurious 
to the subjects of them, and are prejudicial to the cause 
of religion in the eyes of the world. Remarkable man- 
ifestations aid experiences (and those who have en- 



106 OF A. LIFE OF SIGNS AND MANIFEST Al IONS, 

tered into this system are not generally satisfied with 
any thing short of what is remarkable) are usually, and, 
from our present physical and mental constitution, per- 
haps we may say, are necessarily, of short continuance. 
While the manifestations or specific experiences, what- 
ever they may be, continue, the mind is in a state of 
wondering and generally joyous excitement. But when 
the termination of these seasons comes, which is com- 
monly proximate in proportion to their wonderful na- 
ture, then succeeds the period of mental depression, of 
darkness that can almost be felt, of horrible temptations ; 
Satan saying to the soul continually, " Where now is thy 
God ? " And how can it well be otherwise, when those 
who take this erroneous course pray and wrestle, often- 
times perhaps without being fully aware of it, for sight 
rather than for faith, and for revelations, which gratify 
the natural curiosity, rather than for righteousness, 
which purifies the heart ? 

(4.) We observe, again, that it is impossible, as it 
seems to us, for God to bring a soul to the highest re- 
sults of religion, and truly to sanctify it, so long as it 
continues in this disposition of seeking a sign, and at- 
tempts to live spiritually by means of signs ; or that in 
any other way proposes to regulate God, and to prescribe 
conditions to Infinite Love. One expression, and a very 
satisfactory one, of sanctification, is, union with thf 
divine will ; in other words, having no will but God's : 
" He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit." And it 
is this union of spirit with spirit, of will with will, which 
God especially requires. And just so far as there is a di- 
vergence of the human will from the divine, just in that 
degree it is very evident there is, and must be, a want 
of holiness. Now, God's will (and in the infinitude of 
his perfections it cannot be otherwise) is, that we should 
trust him, both his character and his declarations ; that, 
in respect to his various dealings with us, — dealings 
which of course indicate his designs and purposes, — 
we should lie submissive and passive in his hands ; and 
that the language of ->ur hearts should be, at all times 



AS COMPARED WITH A LIFE OF FAITH. 10? 

Even so. Father, for so it seemeth good in thy sight." 
But he who seeks a sign, an inward or outward testi- 
mony, a specific and preconceived manifestation of any 
Kind, as the basis of the inward life, either in its begin- 
ning or its advancement ; in other words, who says to 
the Lord, Do this thing, or that thing, (whatever it 
may be,) and then I will give thee my heart, and believe 
in thee, obviously fails to exercise the required trust in 
God. And consequently, being wanting in the true 
spirit of harmony and union with God, he cannot rightly 
be regarded, while remaining in this state, as a person 
to whom the character of sanctification or holiness 
either is, or can be, properly ascribed. 

(5.) We remark, finally, that a life of faith, in distinc- 
tion from a life of manifestations, is not necessarily, as 
some seem to suppose, exclusive of feeling. The diffi- 
culty, which exists in the minds of those who entertain 
the idea that a life of faith is a life without feeling, 
arises from that limited view of things which considers 
faith in its own nature, exclusive of its relations and 
results. And it may be well to say here, that a thing is 
never properly understood, and cannot be properly un- 
derstood and known, unless it is understood and known 
in its relations and results, as well as in itself. And on 
this ground, therefore, we assert, the relations and results 
of faith are such, that it is a great mistake to say that a 
life of faith is a life without feeling. 

In our inquiries into the nature of the religious life, we 
wish, if possible, to ascertain the foundation principle, 
the corner-stone. And we cannot have any hesitation 
in saying, both from the Scriptures and from the nature 
and reason of the thing, that this principle is, and must 
be, faith. Undoubtedly, there may be feeling of some 
kind without faith ; but there cannot be truly acceptable 
religious feeling without it. Faith must precede. I 
think we may lay it down as a fixed and unalterable 
principle, that any feeling, however strong it may be, 
which exists antecedent to faith, or which exists irrespec- 
tive of faith, can never be relied on as of a truly religious 



108 OF A LIFE OF SIGNS AND MANIFESTATIONS, 

and saving value. But if the true doctrine is, that faith 
should go first, it is nevertheless true, that feeling will 
come after. In all cases where there is faith, (we mean 
religious faith, viz., in God, in Christ, and in all divine 
declarations,) feeling in its various forms, and, what is 
very important, the right kind of feeling, will naturally 
and necessarily flow out. It will be such feeling as God 
approves ; it will be such feeling as filled the bosom of the 
Savior while here on earth ; always appropriate to the 
occasion; sometimes gentle and sometimes strong, some- 
times characterized by joy and sometimes by sorrow, 
always bearing the marks of purity and benevolence ; but 
always, when the exercise of faith exists in the highest 
degree, distinguished by the beautiful trait of calmness 
and peace. 

We might purstie this important subject further ; but 
we leave it with a single observation, accompanied by a 
reference to an experienced and able writer. We desire 
it to be understood, as consistent with what has been said, 
that such specific signs, revelations, and manifestations, 
and also such peculiarities of the more inward and emo- 
tional or affective experience as have been referred to in 
the present chapter, are good in their place. And if it 
be inquired what their place is, the proper answer seems 
to be, when they are sent of God, unsought by the crea- 
ture. It is the prerogative of God to glorify himself in 
his own way. It is alike the privilege and the duty of men 
to leave themselves submissively m his hands. If God, 
in the wisdom of his unsearchable providence, sees fit, 
tor special purposes and on special occasions, to make 
remarkable revelations of eternal things, as he did on a 
few occasions to Stephen, and Paul, and John, or in any 
other ways to impart some marked peculiarities to our 
experience, we are to receive them in a becoming temper 
of mind. And to such occasions the humble Christian, 
who is deeply impressed with his own ignorance and de- 
pendence, and desires nothing but that he may be holy, 
will cheerfully leave them. 

" If God indulge you," says Mr. Fletcher, of Madely, 



AS COMPARED WITH A LIFE OF FAITH. 109 

u with ecstasies and extraordinary revelations, be thank- 
ful for them ; but be not exalted above measure by them. 
Take care, lest enthusiastic delusions mix themselves 
with them ; and remember that your Christian perfection 
does not so much consist in building a tabernacle upon 
Mount Tabor, to rest and enjoy rare sights there, as 
in. resolutely taking up the cross, and following Christ to 
the palace of a proud Caiaphas, to the judgment-hall of 
an unjust Pilate, and to the top of an ignominious Cal- 
vary. Ye never read in your Bibles, ' Let that glory be 
upon you which was also upon Stephen, when he looked 
up steadfastly into heaven, and said, " Behold ! I see the 
heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the 
right hand of God.^ ' But ye have frequently read there, 
' Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 
who made himself of no reputation, but took upon him 
the form of a servant, and being found in fashion as a 
man, humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, 
pven the death of the cross.' " 
10 



no 



CHAPTER TWELFTH. 

OF PURE OR HOLY LOVE, IN DISTINCTION FROM SELF 
INTERESTED OR SELFISH LOVE. 

It will be recollected, that it was attempted to be 
shown, in one of the preceding chapters, that evangeli- 
cal holiness is to be regarded as the same thing with 
perfect love. The great commandment is, " Thou shalt 
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy 
neighbor as thyself." He who begins to love may be 
said to begin to be holy ; lut it is he, and he only, in 
whom the principle of love has subdued that of selfish- 
ness, and who loves with his whole heart, in whom holi- 
ness can be said to be complete or entire. Faith, un- 
doubtedly, whether we consider the subject scripturally 
or psychologically, is the foundation of love. The views 
which have been presented in the preceding chapters 
abundantly show that faith is a principle antecedent to 
love in time, and absolutely indispensable. But it is love, 
nevertheless, to which God has assigned the high honor 
of declaring it to be " the fulfilling of the law." So 
that the great question, — that in comparison with which 
every other is of small importance, — whether we are 
wholly the Lord's, and are truly holy, may be resolved 
into another, viz., whether we are perfected in love ? 

But we proceed to remark here, in this position of our 
inquiries, that there are various kinds of love ; or per- 
haps we should rather say, that there are various states 
of mind which are regarded as love, and which bear the 
name of love. For instance, we may love another, or 
at least may have an affection towards him, which we 
frequently call love, merely or chiefly for the benefits 
which he has conferred upon us, and without a suitable 



OF PURE OR HOLY LOVE. HI 

regard to his motives, and to his character in other re- 
spects. Or we may love him for what he is in and of 
himself ; including what he has done for us personally, 
and every thing else which goes to constitute his whole 
character. It is the latter only which is to be regarded 
as pure love, in distinction from self-interested or selfish 
love ; in other words, pure or holy love, if we have a 
right conception of its nature, is the same thing as right 
love ; that is to say, it is a love which, in being ac- 
cordant with perfect rectitude, is characterized by being 
precisely conformed to its object in all the facts and rela- 
tions of the object, so far as the object is susceptible of 
being known. It is our purpose in this chapter to en- 
deavor to show, that we ought to love God with that 
sort of love which is pure, right, or holy. 

( 1.) In the first place, we are required to do this on 
natural principles. Nature herself — in other words, the 
common feeling and common sense of mankind — teaches 
us what true or pure love is, in distinction from inter- 
ested or merely selfish love. If we profess to love a per- 
son, it is the common and natural understanding in the 
case, that we profess to love him as he is ; in other 
words, we love him for what he is in and of himself, 
for any thing and every thing which is truly desirable 
and lovely in his character ; and not merely or chiefly 
for the benefits which he may have conferred upon us. 
The principles of the philosophy of the mind, which are 
drawn chiefly from an observation of the feelings and 
conduct of men, do not appear to recognize any other 
true love than this. If my neighbor, for instance, de- 
clares that he loves me, I accept his declaration, and re- 
joice in it ; but if I afterwards learn that he loves me 
merely in consequence of some benefits I have conferred 
upon him, I can truly say to him, he is mistaken in 
the whole matter : and that he loves himself and not 
me. It seems to be self-evident, that all true or pure 
love must terminate in the object that is beloved, and 
not in the person that exercises love. And accordingly, 
while such love regards its own interests in their true 



L12 OF PURE OR HOLY LOVE, IN DISTINCTION 

light, and just as they ought to be regarded, it is nevef 
selfish, never egotistical. In other words, it shows no 
disposition to turn back continually upon itself, and to 
revolve around its own centre of origin. On the con- 
trary, true or pure love, in distinction from that which is 
self-interested, is diffusive, generous, and self-forgetting. 
It expatriates itself, as it were ; flying on its beautiful 
wings from its own heart to find a home in the heart of 
another. And it is accordingly with such love, a love 
which lives for another and not for itself, a love devoid 
of any debasing and inferior mixture, that we ought to 
love God. 

(2.) In the second place, while men are evidently 
able to make the distinction between these different 
Kinds or forms of love, it is apparent also that they re- 
spect and honor pure love ; while they have neither ad- 
miration nor esteem for that form of love which is based 
upon personal interest merely. Some ancient heathen 
writers, Cicero in his treatise De Amicitia, and Plato in 
particular, in various places of his writings, speak in the 
highest terms of that friendship or affection which is dis- 
interested. Plato advances the sentiment, that the most 
divine trait in man's nature, and that without which he 
cannot be happy, is, " to deny and go out of himself for 
love." Hence it is, that ancient writers bestow such 
high commendation upon the friendship of Pythias and 
Damon, who lived under the tyrant Dionysius, and were 
willing to die for each other. Each of them seemed 
willing to forget, and, as it were, to extinguish himself, 
in order that the other might live and be happy. This 
was true love. And men are so constituted, that such 
love always commands their regard and honor. They 
instinctively perceive, that it has in itself a divine ele- 
ment, which necessarily allies it to the highest and pur- 
est form of existence, whatever it may be ; and that it is 
morally beautiful, and ever must be so, in its own unde- 
rived lustre. And accordingly, they speak of it at their 
firesides ; they crown it with historic encomiums ; they 
sing its praises in poetry ; while all other love, as exist- 



FROM SELF-INTERESTED OR SELFISH LOVE. 113 

ing between man and man, they despise and trample 
under their feet. And is it reasonable to suppose that 
a love which men themselves, darkened as they are in 
their natural perceptions, instinctively condemn and re- 
ject, will be acceptable to God ? 

(3.) In the third place, the character of God is so 
pure, so exalted, that the claims of right and justice can- 
not be satisfied with any homage which it may receive 
short of pure or holy love. God contains in himself the 
sum of all conceivable excellence. If there is any being 
who is to be loved for himself, because he contains in 
himself every thing that is lovely, it is God. If human 
beings reject with an instinctive contempt any love 
which is found to be based upon selfish considerations, 
how can God, who has so much higher claims, receive 
it ? Upon this point, all language fails. The tongues of 
angels cannot describe the divine excellence. It is be- 
cause God is what he is, and will continue to be what 
he has been, that he is the true and only proper object 
of the heart's highest homage. The divine character 
stands forth, in the view of the universe, as the natural, 
the appropriate, and ever-sufficient object of pure love. 

But the question may be asked here with some degree 
of force, " Is not God's benevolence towards ourselves 
to be taken into view, and to have some effect upon our 
feelings ? " Undoubtedly it is. We shall love God, if we 
fulfil the divine requisition in its entire extent, as he is, 
and not otherwise than he is. And this implies, that we 
are to take into view every part of his character and ot 
his acts. It is true, it is impossible to love him with 
that kind of love which is called pure love, for the sim- 
ple and exclusive reason that he has been good to us. 
Pure or holy love, which does not confine itself to any 
personal or interested view of things, necessarily requires 
a wider basis of movement than this. But we love him 
with entire purity of love, because, while he has been 
good to us, he has sustained, in every other respect, the 
perfection of his character and acts. In other words, 
there has been a diffusion of truth, purity, and righteous- 
10* 



1X4 OF PURE OR HOLY LOVE, IN DISTINCTION 

ness, over his whole character and administration ; in- 
cluding what he has done for ourselves, as well as his acts 
in other respects. And it is his character and acts, as 
thus presented in their entireness, and not in partial 
glimpses, which command the homage of pure love 

(4.) In the fourth place, the Scriptures require us to 
love God with disinterested or pure love. We say noth- 
ing here of the great command, " Thou shalt love the 
Lord thy God with all thy heart ; " which evidently 
implies the dethronement and exclusion of selfishness. 
There are various other passages of Scripture, which, if 
we rightly understand them, evidently look to this result, 
viz., that we should love him for what he is in and of 
himself, independently of our own private interests. 
Accordingly, it is said in Luke, chap. xiv. 26, " If any- 
man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, 
and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, 
and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." And 
again in the same chapter, " So likewise, whosoever he 
be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he 
cannot be my disciple." And again it is said, in another 
place, " Love your enemies ; bless them that curse yon ; 
do good to them that hate you." And perhaps still more 
directly and appositely to the subject under considera- 
tion, the inquiry is made in another passage, "If ye love 
them which love you, what thanks have ye ? For sin- 
ners also Jove those that love them. And if ye do good 
to them who do good to you, what thanks have ye ? 
For sinners also do even the same." These are the 
declarations and precepts of the Savior himself. There 
are many others very similar to be found in different 
parts of the Word of God ; as when, for instance, the 
apostle John says, "Love not the world, neither the 
things that are in the world. If any man love the 
world, the love of the Father is not in him.'''' How true 
it is, then, that charity, or the genuine love of God and 
our neighbor, " seeketh not her own " ! And how ap- 
propriate the direction, "Look not every man on his 
own things ; but every man also on the things of oth- 



FROM SELF-INTERESTED OR SELFISH LOVE. 115 

ers " ! We have only to add, that passages, such as have 
now been referred to, evidently strike at the existence of 
that form of love, if such it can be called, which pro- 
poses to build itself on personal or selfish considerations. 

(5.) We remark, further, that the nature of the hu- 
man mind is such, being limited and dependent, that it 
evidently requires an adequate centre of love, on which 
it can rest. No being, that is weak and dependent, and 
is conscious, as man is, of this weakness and dependence, 
can find a safe and satisfactory centre in itself. Ac- 
cordingly, the man whose love reverts wholly or chiefly 
to himself, is always found to be more or less anxious 
and unhappy. And if our love fixes upon any being out 
of ourselves, but short of God and to the exclusion of 
God, it soon finds a weakness ther3, and becomes 
uneasy, and has a sort of instinctive consciousness that 
the true centre is not yet found. Hence, if our souls 
would find rest, they can find it only by an alienation of 
self and of all subordinate creatures, arid by union with 
God. And what has now been said is not only obvious 
in itself, but it is believed it will be found to be con- 
firmed by the testimony of those who have made the 
greatest advancement in holiness. In .he transition they 
have passed through, from the natural life to the true life 
of God in the soul, they have attached themselves, as it 
was perhaps natural they should do, to various inferior 
objects — to outward forms, to ministers, to church organi- 
zation and ceremonies, to Christian friends ; and have 
endeavored for a time to find a rest of soul in these in- 
ferior things. But it has always eluded them. They 
have felt the foundation shake. They have realized an 
inward disquietude and weakness, till, leaving every 
thing else, however desirable in many respects and for 
many purposes it might be, they have reached the strong 
rock of salvation in God alone. 

Finally, it is the nature of true love to react upon 
and to expand itself. It is satisfied with nothing but 
constant increase. It ever desires to love more j and ie 
^ver enlarging its own capability of loving. It can 



1 16 OF PURE Oil HOLY LOVE, IN DISTINCTION 

therefore, rest firmly and quietly, and with entire satis- 
faction, only in an object which has capacity and ful- 
ness enough to meet this tendency. As in God there is 
not only infinity of being but infinite loveliness, so the 
principle of love in men, though it should expand and 
increase itself through all eternity, will find in him all 
its wants supplied. No other object can supply them ; 
and it seeks no other. But in God it finds all that it 
needs. It has a home there, like no other home. It has 
no fear of failure in the beloved object ; it has no desire 
of change. It exults triumphantly, and with ever-in- 
creasing exultation, in the midst of the glories of the In- 
finite Mind. This is the true point of rest ; the soul's 
eternal rock j the everlasting centre ; and it can be no- 
where else. 

In connection with what has been said, we make a 
few remarks further, naturally flowing out of the sub- 
ject. And, in the first place, we observe, it is a bad 
sign when Christians are thinking more of themselves 
than of God ; in other words, when they are more taken 
up with their own joys and sorrows than they are with 
God's will. When this is the case, they have not as yet 
learned the great lesson of self-crucifixion ; of doing and 
suffering the will of another. " The cup, which my 
Father giveth me, shall I not drink it ? " These are the 
words of the Savior ; and they convey deep and precious 
meaning. When we are fully delivered from the influ- 
ence of selfish considerations, and have become conform- 
ed to the desires and purposes of the Infinite Mind, we 
shall drink the cup, and drink it cheerfully, whatever it 
may be. In a word, we shall necessarily be submissive 
and happy in all trials, and in every change and diver- 
sity of situation. Not because we are seeking happiness 
as a distinct object, or thinking of happiness as a distinct 
object, but because the glorious will of Him, whom our 
soul loves supremely, is accomplished in us. To the 
purified mind, the sorrows and joys of this life, when 
contemplated in the light of God's providences, are alike. 
Whatever God sends is welcome to it. Hence we say, 



FROM SELF-INTERESTED OR SELFISH LOVE. 11.7 

it shows a state of mind short of sanctification, or, what 
is the same thing, short of evangelical perfection, when 
we think more of ourselves than we do of God, and more 
of our own happiness than we do of the divine glory. 

We remark, in the second place, that in the doctrine 
of pure love, existing in the highest degree, we find the 
true basis of Christian harmony. There never can be 
harmony among Christians without some common centre 
of attraction. Without such a centre, their principles of 
movement will vary, and they will be exposed to perpet- 
ual conflicts. What a delightful prospect would be pre- 
sented, if all Christians could meet in this great centre ! 
What unity of purpose ! What mingling of affection ! 
It is party and selfish interests which divide. A com- 
mon interest unites. God, being loved with perfect love, 
and for his own sake, makes all hearts one. It is then 
that we all drink, and are all nourished, at the same 
fountain. We unite in him and rejoice in him, as a 
principle of life-giving inspiration, having a common and 
universal efficacy, operating as the soul of each separate 
soul and the life of each separate life, and thus making 
what was before separate and self-interested but one life 
and one soul in himself. 

We observe, again, that we find in this doctrine the 
true principle, not only of union among Christians in this 
life, but of the permanent moral harmony of the uni- 
verse. The universe must have a centre ; and it has ; 
and that centre is God. But there cannot be universal 
harmony, notwithstanding, unless all hearts are drawn to 
that centre, as the supreme object of attraction and de- 
light. This simple principle of pure love, always termi- 
nating in God as its centre, and as its supreme object, 
excludes every jarring sound, and establishes universal 
concord. And as it is exercised without distrust and 
without fear, attaching itself to an 'object whose perfec- 
tions never change, it naturally brings substantial joy — 
joy, full as its fountain, which is God, and lasting as 
his existence, which is eternity. 

Finally, in the opposite of •pure love, that is to say, 
in selfishness, as it develops itself in a future life, we 



118 OF PURE OR HOLY LOVE. 

find the great principle of moral discord, and also that 
which constitutes the essential basis of the misery of 
helL The misery of hell is not an accident ; but. just to 
the extent it is experienced at all, it is a permanent and 
necessary truth. Like every thing else, it has its philos- 
ophy. Its leading element is love, terminating in self 
as the supreme object j in other words, it is supreme 
selfishness. This principle, wherever it exists and 
wherever it is transferred, necessarily carries with it the 
grand element of the world of woe. A being who is 
supremely selfish is necessarily miserable. The result 
does not depend upon choice or volition, but upon the 
nature of things. Instead of the principle of unity, 
which tends to oneness of purpose with other beings, and 
naturally leads to happiness, he has within him the prin- 
ciple of exclusion and of eternal separation. In its ulti- 
mate operation, if it is permitted permanently to exist, it 
necessarily drives him from every thing else, and wedges 
him closer and closer in the compressed circumference 
of his own personality ; so that he is not only at vari- 
ance with God, and with all holy beings, but he is not 
at unity even with the devils themselves. The princi- 
ple of love, terminating in self as the supreme object, and 
exclusive of other objects, — in other words, supreme self- 
ishness, — makes him at war with all other beings ; and 
it is impossible for him to be happy but in their destruc- 
tion, which is also an impossibility. This is the true 
hell and everlasting fire. 



" O Love ! 1 languish at thy stay ! 

I pine for thee with lingering smart ! 
Weary and faint through long delay ; 

When wilt thou come into my heart ? 
From sin and sorrow set me free, 
And swallow up my soul in thee ! 
" Come, O my comfort and delight ! 

My strength and health, my shield and sun, 
My boast, and confidence, and might, 

My joy, my glory, and my crown ; 
My gospel hope, my calling's prize ; 
My tree of life, my paradise ! " 



(9 



CHAPTER THIRTEENTH. 



ON THE LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOR AND OF OURSELVES 

We proceed now to the consideration of a subject 
naturally flowing out of that of the foregoing chapter, 
viz., that of love to our neighbor, and to created and in- 
ferior beings in general. And the first proposition 
which we lay down is this : If our love to God be dis- 
interested and pure, and at the same time exist in a de- 
gree suitable to the object, viz., in the highest degree, 
then all other love, and the love of all other creatures, 
will be entirely subordinate to this, and will exist only 
in relation to it. If we possess pure and perfect love to 
God, we shall perfectly sympathize with him in his love 
towards whatever he has made ; and shall, according to 
our capacity, love just as he does. Our love will natu- 
rally, and perhaps we may say of necessity, flow in the 
same channel. And whatever things he takes an inter- 
est in, whether material or immaterial, whether of 
greater or less consequence, will possess precisely the 
same interest for us, so far as we possess an equal knowl- 
edge of their nature and an equal capacity of love. The 
devout recollection of the great Architect will impart a 
degree of sacredness and value to whatever is the work 
of his hands. In his woods, his rivers, his mountains, 
his burnished sky, and his boundless ocean, we shall see 
the indistinct reflection of himself, and join to our per- 
ception of beauty in the object a still higher admiration 
of the wisdom and goodness of its Maker. We shall rec- 
ognize, in the birds of the air, in the cattle of the ver- 
dant hills, and even in the heedless insect that hums 
around our path, the agency of Him who doeth all 



I, JO ON THE LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOR 

things well. And we shall feel here, as in other things, 
that we can never be indifferent to any thing which our 
heavenly Father has made and takes an interest in. 

As we rise in the scale of beings to those which have 
d rational and moral nature, to those who are kindred in 
race, and are perhaps kindred by the nearer relationship 
of family ties, we shall experience the exercise of love 
on the same principle. We do not deny that we shall 
be susceptible of a natural love. We know that we, 
shall be. But what we mean to say is, that our love, 
whether purely natural, and founded on the relations we 
sustain to the object, or whether an acquired love, and 
resting wholly upon the deliberate perception of its ami- 
able qualities, will be perfectly subordinate to the love of 
God, and will be regulated by it. It would perhaps be 
a concise expression of the fact to say, whatever specific 
modifications our love may assume, under the operation 
of natural causes, that we shall love all things in and 
for God. And if we are required in the first instance to 
love God with all our heart, it does not clearly appear, 
when we fulfil the divine requisition, how we can love 
our neighbor, or any thing else, in any other way than 
this. 

" But what is," says a certain writer, "loving any. 
creature only in and for God ? It is, when we love it 
only as it is God's work, image, and delight ; when we 
love it merely as it is God's, and belongs to him. This 
is loving it in God. And when all that we wish, intend, 
or do to it, is done from a love of God, for the honor of 
God, and in conformity to the will of God, this is lov- 
ing it for God. This is the one love, that is, and must 
be, the spirit of all creatures that live united to God. 
Now, this is no speculative refinement or fine-spun fiction 
of the brain ; but the simple truth, a first law of na- 
ture, and a necessary bond of union between God and 
the creature. The creature is not in God, is a stranger 
to him, has lost the life of God in itself, whenever its 
love does not thus begin and end in God." * 

* Law's Spirit of Fraver. Ft. I. oh 2. 



AND OF OURSELVES. 121 

And in this way, under the great law of supreme love 
to God, we may not only love, as we ought to, our 
friends, our relatives, and our fellow-men universally ; 
but, under the same law and in the same manner, we 
may love ourselves, and may love and seek our own 
happiness. God is willing that we should. He has 
made us so that we cannot do otherwise. He requires 
us to do it. But what is our happiness ? It is, to love 
God with all our heart, and to hold all other love in 
subordination ; or, what seems to be the same thing, to 
love God supremely, and to exercise and measure all 
other love with a reference to that supreme and perfect 
standard of measurement. It is, to feel the full power of 
that divine attraction which silently draws us from the 
circumference to the centre ; it is, to experience the res- 
toration of the broken bond of union with the Divine 
Mind — to be lost, as it were, in the great ocean of the 
infinite fulness. In other words, our happiness is, to re- 
nounce ourselves entirely, in order that God, in whom 
alone is all goodness, may resume that throne in the 
heart from which he has been banished. And accord- 
ingly, we love ourselves and our own happiness, even our 
frail bodies as well as our immortal souls, because God 
made us ; because he takes care of us, and desires our 
happiness, and recognizes the propriety of our exercising 
the same desire ; because he has designed us, under the 
operations of his grace, to be mirrors of his own image 
and the temples of the Holy Ghost ; and not because we 
have a desire, or could for a moment have a desire, a pur- 
pose, or a love, adverse to or even not coincident with 
his. So that all subordinate love of his creatures, 
whether it have relation to ourselves or others, may 
truly and properly resolve itself into the love of God. 

(1.) In connection with what has been said, we may 
properly make one or two remarks. The first is, that 
this doctrine makes the exercise of love to our neighbors, 
in the same degree in which we love ourselves, an easy 
thing. We love ourselves only as we lcve God. In 
other words, if we love God with perfect love, the love 
11 



122 ON THE LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOR 

of ourselves will be subordinated and restricted by tho 
controlling desire, that God may be glorified in us. . 
We can seek nothing, desire nothing, love nothing, for 
ourselves, but what is subordinate to and has a tendency 
to God's glory ; so that the love of self, whatever it 
may be, is merged and purified in the encircling and ab- 
sorbing love of God. The love of our neighbor is prop- 
erly measured, on the principles of the Scriptures, by the 
love of ourselves ; and as we can love ourselves only in 
subordination to God's will and glory, so we can love 
our neighbor only in the same manner and the same de- 
gree. In other words, both the love of ourselves and ot 
our neighbor are only rills and drops from the mighty 
waters of love to God. And on the supposition that we 
are filled with the love of God, the love of our neighbor 
flows out from the great fountain of divine love, in the 
various channels and in the degree which God chooses, 
as easily and as naturally as a stream flows from its lake 
in the mountains over the meadows and valleys below. 
There is no need of effort. Only let God, in his provi- 
dence, furnish the occasion, and in a moment the heart 
will open, and the streams will gush out. Hence the 
remarks which are found in various places of the wri- 
tings of Augustine, Thauler, and Fenelon, to this effect, 
(and some eminent theologians of this country appear 
decidedly to favor this view,) that the love of God is ca- 
pable of animating and regulating all those affections 
which we owe to his creatures ; that the true manner of 
loving our neighbor is to love him in and for God ; and 
that we never love him so purely and so much, as when 
we love him in this way. 

(2.) We observe, further, that the love of our neigh- 
bor, flowing from this divine source, and equalling in 
degree the love of ourselves, meets and adapts itself with 
a wonderful flexibility to all the ordinary occasions and 
demands of life. It leads us to the humble residences 
of the poor and the chambers of the sick. And while 
it sympathizes in the sufferings, it also rejoices in the 
consolations, of others, just as it would in its own. 



AND OF OURSELVES. 123 

'•Such souls," says Fenelon, "as are really detached 
from themselves, like the saints in heaven, regard the 
mercies distributed to others with the same complacency 
as those they receive themselves ; for, esteeming them- 
selves as nothing, they love the good pleasure of God, 
the riches of his grace, and the glory he derives from the 
sanctification of others, as much as that which he de- 
rives from them. All is then equal, for the personal self, 
or me, is lost. The me is no more me [that is, relatively 
to the exercise of the affections on their appropriate oc- 
casions] than another person. It is God alone that is 
all in all. It is God whom they love and admire ; 
and who, in the exercise of this disinterested or pure love, 
causes all the joy of their hearts." 

(3.) We remark, again, that, on the principles which 
have been laid down, we see how we may fulfil the 
command of our Savior to love our enemies, to bless them 
that curse us, and to do good to them that hate and per 
secute us. Instead of being a very difficult thing, as is 
commonly supposed, and as it would undoubtedly be on 
natural principles, it becomes easy ; because, in the lan- 
guage of Francis de Sales, " We cannot love God as 
we ought, without adopting his sentiments, and loving 
what he loves." Now, we know that God loves those 
who do not love him. He loved us, even when we 
were his enemies. He so loved a rebellious and disobe- 
dient world, as to give his Son to die for it. And if we 
are in the same spirit, loving only what he loves and 
hating what he hates, we shall find no difficulty in lov- 
ing our enemies, and in praying for those who "despite- 
fully entreat us." No matter how unlovely they may 
be in themselves, no matter how cruel and unjust their 
treatment may be to us; the consideration, that our 
heavenly Father loves them and requires us to love them, 
lays all things even, and opens the full channels of the 
heart, as if there were no obstacles existing. 

Finally, when we love our fellow-men in this way, 
we love with a perseverance and constancy which could 
not be realized under other circumstances. Our love is 



124 LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOR AND OF OURSELVES. 

not subject to those breaks and variations which char- 
acterize it when it is based upon the uncertainties of the 
creature, instead of the immutability of the divine will. 
On the contrary, it continually flows on and flows on, 
whether it meets with any favorable return or not, par- 
taking, in no small measure, of the unchangeableness of 
the divine nature. 



125 



CHAPTER FOURTEENTH. 



ON THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN LOVE AND JOY. 



It would seem, from the views which have been ta- 
ken, that perfect love is to be regarded, on the prin- 
ciples of the gospel, as essentially the same thing, or 
rather as precisely the same thing, with sanctification 
or holiness. Certain it is, that those who are perfected 
in love, whatever may be their infirmities and errors, and 
however important and proper it may be for them to 
make constant application to the blood of the atonement; 
both for the forgiveness of the infirmities of the present 
and of the infirmities and transgressions of the past, are 
spoken of and are treated, in the New Testament, as 
accepted, sanctified, or holy persons. Those, therefore, 
who are truly and without any self-interested reflections 
seeking perfection of love, may very properly be con- 
sidered as seeking holiness. But it is proper to say here, 
that some degree of observation and inquiry has given 
occasion to the remark, that some persons, who are truly 
seeking the sanctifying power of assured faith and per- 
fected love, and who suppose that they are seeking it in 
the right way, have nevertheless committed the danger- 
ous error of confounding joy with love ; and are in fact, 
without being fully aware of it, seeking after a state of 
highly joyful and rapturous excitement, instead of true 
love. It is to some mistake of this kind that the pious 
Lady Maxwell probably has reference, when she says, 
11 The Lord has taught me that it is by faith, and not 
joy, I must live." It seems to me, therefore, important 
ill order to understand the true foundation of the Chris- 
11* 



126 ON THE DISTINCTION 

tian life, to draw the distinction between joy and love. 
This is the object of the present chapter. 

(1.) In endeavoring to point out the distinction be- 
tween joy and love, which, it must be admitted, cannot 
be satisfactorily done without careful consideration, we 
proceed to remark, in the first place, that the distinction 
is very properly made, in philosophical writers, between 
emotions and desires ; and that joy is to be regarded as 
an emotion rather than a desire. Regarded as an emo- 
tive state of the mind, joy, like the emotions generally, 
naturally terminates in itself; that is to say, a person 
may be the subject of highly-raised joyful emotions, and 
at the same time may remain inactive. He may be 
wholly occupied with the ecstatic movement of his own 
feelings, and be destitute of thought, feeling, and action 
for others. But the leading characteristic of love — that 
in particular which distinguishes it from mere joy — is the 
element of desire. It is the nature of love, as it is the 
nature of every thing else of which desire is the promi- 
nent element, not to stop or terminate in itself, but to 
lead to something else. And furthermore love, like 
other benevolent affections, is not only active in relation 
to others, but is active for the good of others. We have 
here, therefore, an important ground of distinction. If 
Christians were filled with joyful feelings merely, they 
might, being destitute of other principles of action, re- 
main slothful at their own firesides, and see the world 
perish in their sins. But love, on the contrary, is 
sweetly and powerfully impulsive ; and constrains us, 
especially if it be strong, to do good in every possible 
way to our fellow-men. And hence the expression of 
the apostle, " the love of Christ constraineth us." 

(2.) In the second place, joy may be founded on 
selfish considerations. But love, certainly that which 
God recognizes and requires, — that disinterested or pure 
love of which we have already given some account, — is 
always benevolent. It is sometimes the case, in conse 
quence of a wrong position of our minds, that we may 
even rejoice in the evil or suffering of others. We may 



BETWEEN LOVE AND JOY. 127 

be very well pleased, very happy, when we see them 
perplexed, misrepresented, and injured. But it does not 
appear how we can at such times be said to love them. 
Joy, therefore, may go where love will not follow. Joy 
may have a field of action which love has not. Accord- 
ingly, we can conceive of the devils rejoicing. They 
may rejoice, and undoubtedly do rejoice, in the misery of 
each other. It is their nature. Evil is their good. But 
we cannot conceive how they can love. 

(3.) We may remark, in the third place, that in love 
there is always something elevating, ennobling, and pu- 
rifying to the soul. It is the great source and fountain 
of generous and exalted actions. It is the secret and 
powerful spring of religious magnanimity, of holy hero- 
ism. But the tendency of joy is, in itself considered, 
and independently of other principles, to create in the 
mind a species of spiritual sensuality. It leads the soul 
'at least such is its tendency, unless accompanied by 
other principles) to sit quietly and inactively in the easy 
chair of its own gratification. It thinks too much of 
itself, to have the power of thinking much of others. Its 
tendency, therefore, in itself considered, and independ- 
ently of other principles of action, is to turn the mind off 
."rom the highest good. It may even have the effect 
(and it is believed that the experience of some Chris- 
tians on this point will confirm the statement) to remove 
the mind, in some degree, from God himself, and from 
Christ, and from the Holy Ghost, upon whom it ought 
always to rest. And this, certainly, is a result which 
is greatly to be deplored. 

(4.) It will be recollected, m the fourth place, that 
a leading characteristic of love, as already has been re- 
marked, is desire ; a state of mind which may very 
properly be distinguished from an emotion. Accordingly, 
we can never love an object, without desiring the good of 
that object. In the exercise of love, we carefully notice 
those occasions on which we may have it in our power to 
promote the good or happiness of the beloved object ; 
and are faithful to improvt them. When our love is 



128 ON THE DISTINCTION 

decided and strong, we are oftentimes much more solicit- 
ous to secure the welfare and happiness of the beloved 
person than our own. The state of mind, as already 
intimated, is not quiescent, but impulsive : it impels to 
action ; and not to selfish, but benevolent action. Ob- 
serve the love of a parent to a child. Perhaps the child 
may be deformed in body or mind, or both. There may 
be nothing especially attractive either in its person, con- 
duct, or prospects ; and yet the heart of the parent 
constantly goes out towards the child in acts of kind- 
ness. And the same may be observed, in a multitude of 
cases, on the part of the child towards the parent. Some 
parents are brutish and cruel in their conduct ; their 
hearts are hardened, perhaps, by intemperance ; their nat- 
ural affections are thus blunted ; — but their children, not- 
withstanding this, love them, watch over them, and do 
a multitude of acts which could result only from love. 
It is in accordance with these views, that we find men- 
tion in Scripture of those who received the word of God 
with joy, and yet soon withered away. And why ? 
Because, with all their joy, they had not the abiding root 
of love. They were the subjects of a temporary pleas- 
arable excitement, but had never experienced a new 
direction and bent of the heart. True love, clinging to 
the object of the affections, is permanent ; joy is often 
evanescent. 

(5.) We remark, further, as a natural consequence, 
of what has been said, that the love of God, as it exists 
in the minds of those who are his devoted followers, al- 
ways inquires after his will. It does not ask after ease, 
pleasure, reward ; nor, on the other hand, does it ask 
after trial, suffering, and contempt; it merely asks after 
the Father's will. Its language is that of the Savior, 
when he says, " Lo, I come to do thy will, O God ! " 
And as, in common life, we think much of a person that 
is beloved, and desire his favor and approbation, so, in 
regard to God, if we truly love him, he will be verv 
much in our thoughts, and his approbation and favor will 
be lo us of great price. If he is the highest object of our 



BETWEEN LOVE AND JOY. 129 

love, we shall desire no higher happiness than that oi 
constant communion with him, and of being always uni- 
ted to him by oneness of will. Thus we may be said to 
be in him, and he in us ; and 1 hat eternal rest of the soul, 
which constitutes the true heaven, will be commenced 
here. Then we shall have the true joy — calm, deep, 
unchangeable. Love goes before; joy comes after. 
Love is the principle of action ; joy is the reward. In 
the spiritual tree of life, love is the nutritive sap, the per- 
meating and invigorating power, that flows through the 
body and the soul of man ; joy is one of its beautiful 
fruits and flowers. If, therefore, love is strong, joy will 
never fail us ; but, on the other hand, if love is wanting, 
there can be no joy, except that joy of the world which 
worketh death. 

in view of what has been said, one or two remarks 
may be made. And the first is, if we are truly sancti- 
fied to the Lord, — in other words, if we love God with all 
our hearts, — our course as Christians will be a consistent 
and stable one. Our rule of action will be the will of 
God ; our principle of action will be the love of God. 
And as the will of God is fixed, and is made known to 
us in various ways, especially in his holy Word, we shall 
endeavor to fulfil it at all times humbly and faithfully, 
without regard to those temporary and changing feelings 
which too often perplex the religious life. 

It may be remarked, further, in conclusion, that in the 
state of mind which has been spoken of, we shall not 
fail of any consolation which is needful for us. It be- 
longs to the very nature of desire, that, when the desire 
is gratified, we are more or less happy. Accordingly, in 
exercising love to God, the leading element of which is 
desire, and in doing and suffering his holy will, in ac- 
cordance with such desire, we cannot be otherwise than 
happy in a considerable degree. If we seek joy or hap- 
piness as an ultimate object, we cannot fail, on religious 
principles, to miss of it. If, under the promptings of 
love, we seek merely to do and suffer the will of God, 
we shall certainly, except in those cases where God, by 



130 DISTINCTION BETWEEN LOVE AND JOY. 

a special act of sovereignty, withdraws consolation in 
order to try our faith, possess all that consolation which 
will be needful. And in the case which has just been 
mentioned, if our faith, still trusting in the beloved ob- 
iect, sustains the terrible shock of apparent desertion, (as 
when our Savior exclaimed, " My God, my God, why 
aast thou forsaken me ! ") we shall soon find abundant 
consolation ret irning. 



131 



CHAPTER FIFTEENTH. 



ON THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN NATURAL A\U 
SPIRITUAL JOY. 

We have 2ndeavored, in the preceding chapter, to point 
out the distinction between love and joy ; — a distinction 
not very obvious at first sight, but which really exists, 
and is important to be made. But it is proper to add 
here, that the views of the chapter may be somewhat 
aided, and perhaps modified in their practical application, 
in connection with a distinction, which yet remains to 
be made, and which may very properly be made, between 
natural joy and spiritual joy. It is true that gracious 
or spiritual joy is not to be confounded with love, any 
more than natural joy is. In both cases, the distinction 
between love and joy is a real and permanent one. But 
then there remains the additional view, which will help 
to throw further light upon the subject before us, that 
gracious or holy joy differs, in some of its aspects, from 
natural joy. 

We proceed then to remark, in the first place, that 
natural joy and spiritual joy are different in their origin. 
Natural joy, which is sometimes denominated " the joy 
of the world," arises from natural causes ; from physical 
or worldly good ; from health, property, worldly influ- 
ence, the indulgences of sense ; from such causes, in a 
word, as we might suppose to exist, and to produce joy 
within us, if we had no perception of a God, and no 
knowledge of religion. Spiritual or gracious joy, which 
is spiritual or gracious in its origin, arises from the knowl- 
edge of spiritual objects, from the discharge of spiritual 
or religious duties, and from the inspiring agency of th*> 



132 ON THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN 

Holy Ghost. And hence it is sometimes denominated 
the " joy of the Holy Ghost." 

(2.) Again, natural joy, arising from natural princi- 
ples, and unchecked and unregulated by gracious influ- 
ences, has oftentimes a very powerful eifect upon the 
physical system. And it is possible, and even probable 
that this may sometimes be the case with true spiritua 
or gracious joy ; especially when the emotion is strong 
and immediately successive to a painfully depressed and 
suffering state of mind. And it is not unreasonable to 
suppose that, in some cases, when powerful physical 
results are found to exist, there may be a union or 
combination of natural and gracious emotion. But it is 
nevertheless true, that the natural tendency of spiritual 
joy, in itself considered, and independently of any pe- 
culiar circumstances , is, in a remarkable degree, and 
much more so than that of mere natural joy, to produce 
a tranquillizing effect upon the mind, and through the 
mind upon the physical system, and to promote sound- 
ness and regularity of action in both. 

(3.) We observe, in the third place, that there is a 
tendency in natural joy, especially when it is strong, to 
perplex the action of the perceptive and discriminating or 
judging powers. This is true of the natural emotions 
generally, when they are in an excited state. Any con- 
siderable agitation in that portion of our sensitive nature, 
which is termed the emotions, is commonly understood 
to be unfavorable to correct perception and judgment. 
A man, for instance, who is agitated with emotions ot 
displeasure, of jealousy, or of fear, will find it difficult, 
while remaining ia such state of agitation, to go through 
successfully with an intricate train of mathematical or 
other reasoning. And the result will be the same if he 
is considerably agitated with emotions of natural pleas- 
ure or joy. But true spiritual joy, when undisturbed by 
unfavorable influences from the physical system, and un- 
mixed with natural joy, leaves the mind tranquil, and 
the perceptive and discriminating faculties clear and ef« 



NATURAL AND SPIR1.TUAL JOY. 133 

fective in the highest degree. And these views seem to 
be confirmed by a consideration of the state of holy be- 
ings. All holy beings, there can be no doubt, experi- 
ence true joy of heart ; but in our reflections on their 
mental character and operations, it is certain that we 
never conceive of them as having their minds clouded, 
and their perceptive powers blunted, by excessive emo- 
tion. The natural feelings, which are regulated with 
difficulty, continually run into excess ; but this is never 
the 3ase with those truly religious or gracious feelings 
which are really inspired by the Holy Ghost. And 
therefore, when it is said of the disciples, on a certain 
occasion, (Luke xxiv. 41,) that they " believed not for 
joy," it is probable that they experienced an excitement 
and confusion of mind, resulting from a mixture of nat- 
ural joy with emotions of a holy kind. 

(4.) It remains to be remarked, further, that natural 
joy is often attended with certain incidental evils, which 
are not likely to exist in connection with gracious or 
holy joy ; such as an undue hilarity of spirit, a sort of 
unreflecting and too youthful levity and flightiness of 
thought and manner, unsuitable to our age or our situa- 
tion in life : what George Fox, in speaking of some 
Christians in his day, expressively describes as " being 
up in the airy mind." On the other hand, holy joy, 
when it is free from any mixture and perversion of nat- 
ural joy, is deliberately and deeply serious. When nat- 
ural joy is superadded, or is superinduced upon a truly 
spiritual or gracious experience, and gives a character to 
our actions, it is possible that there may be sometimes 
results bordering upon those airy and flighty manifesta- 
tions which have been mentioned ; but whenever this 
is the case, it is certain that these results do not flow 
from any state of mind which is truly the work of the 
Holy Spirit. Religious or sanctified joy, always bear- 
ing the stamp of deliberation and wisdom, always in 
keeping with that seriousness which naturally flows out 
of the truths and the responsibilities of religion, is en- 
tirely suited to the objects and occasions on which it 
12 



134 ON THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN 

arises; so as to leave in the mind both the appearance 
and the fact of perfect tranquillity — such as there is in 
God himself, who may be said to be always happy, al- 
ways joyful, and yet to be always serious and unaltera- 
bly tranquil. This joy seems to me to be often expressed 
in the Scriptures by the word peace ; and is probably 
the precise state of mind, the delightful legacy of all true 
Christians, which the Savior had in view when he said 
to his disciples, " Peace I leave with you; my peace I 
give unto you." Such a joy may be strong : in the 
language of Scripture, it may be " unspeakable and full 
of glory : " but it is always calm and peaceful ; and in 
this respect is entirely different from that excited and un- 
profitable intoxication of spirit, which is sometimes found 
to be experienced, and which so possesses and agitates 
the mind, that the will of God, and our duty, cannot be 
clearly perceived. 

Filially, holy joy, being founded in the perception of 
the character, attributes, and will of God, is not neces- 
sarily liable to changes. He who rejoices in God to- 
day, having a correct view of his character and will, will 
never find good reason to do otherwise than rejoice in 
that character and will, in all coming time ; and simply 
because God, in his character and his will, is always the 
same. In all afflictions and trials, of whatever nature, 
there will still remain the basis of a serene and pure joy 
in the depths of the heart. But natural joy, being 
founded upon natural objects, which are frail, uncertain, 
and full of imperfection, necessarily partakes of the un- 
certainty and imperfect nature of its causes. And hence 
it is said, in the portion of Scripture already referred to, 
"They on the rock are they which, when they hear, 
receive the word with joy ; " (that is, with natural joy, as 
we are probably to understand it ;) " and these have no 
root ; which for a while believe, and in time of tempta- 
tion fall away." So that holy or spiritual joy may be 
compared to the sun, which always shines with its pure 
and beautiful light, even when wrapped in clouds ; but 
natural joy is like a meteor, gleaming for a moment, and 



NATURAL AND SPIRITUAL JOY. 135 

then extinguished ; rekindled again after a time, but des- 
tined soon and suddenly to sink in still greater darkness. 
In connection with the marks, which thus separate 
natural from spiritual joy, we observe, in conclusion, that 
spiritual joy, being a truly Christian grace, is exceedingly 
valuable and desirable ; and truly blessed is he who 
possesses that state of mind which is properly called 
"joy in the Holy Ghost." It is true, it is a grace both 
subsequent in time and inferior in rank to love, which 
ought to be sought first, as the reigning and controlling 
principle of the soul. But it is, nevertheless, in its ap- 
propriate time and place, one of the precious gifts and 
graces of God. And hence the various expressions and 
commands, having a relation to this cheering state of 
mind, which are found in the Bible. " Rejoice in the 
Lord, O ye righteous ; for praise is comely for the up- 
right." Ps. xxxiii. 1. " But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are 
partakers of Christ's sufferings ; that when his glory 
shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding 
joy." 1 Peter iv. 13. " These things have I spoken 
unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that 
your joy might be full." John xv. 11. " Rejoice ever- 
more ; pray without ceasing ; in every thing give 
thanks ; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus con- 
cerning you." 1 Thess. v. 16 — 18. 



illustration of the subject from personal 
experience. 

[In the following extract from the personal experience of a pious per- 
son of the Baptist church, now no longer living, the reader will notice 
an exemplification of that tendency to seek for joyous emotion which is 
so common, and oftentimes so injurious.] 

" I trust I was enabled deliberately, not only in view 
of sickness and death, but of life and health, to make an 
unreserved consecration of my all to Christ, and to feel 
that, in whatever situation I might be, ' Holiness to the 
Lord ' must henceforth be my motto. I could now yield 



136 ON THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN 

myself a willing subject to the sanctifying grace of God, 
believing he would work in me according to the good 
pleasure of his will. Soon a heavenly calm possessed 
my mind, a sense of the divine glory surrounded me 
and my whole soul seemed in sweet harmony with the 
holiness of God. There were no rapturous emotions ; 
but I felt 

' The sacred awe that dares not move, 
And all the silent heaven of love.' 

•' How easy now seemed the divine requirement, to love 
him with all the heart, and my neighbor as myself! I 
felt a peculiar tenderness of conscience, and feared noth- 
ing but to offend my Savior. Being still feeble in body, 
I could not endure strong mental exercises ; and as the 
change in my feelings was not sudden, or characterized 
by strong emotions, I was soon tempted to doubt whether 
it was really what I had been seeking for. I prayed 
earnestly for a fulness of joy, and an undoubted evi- 
dence ; but the more I sought for this, the less my evi- 
dence appeared, until I was willing to leave all with 
God, to give either a crumb or a full meal. My peace 
then returned, and, blessed be God ! it has continued, like 
a river, to flow broader and deeper to the present time. 

" Never before did I feel so much my entire dependence 
on all-sufficient grace, and such a confidence that it 
would be given in every time of need. Like a little child 
I have looked into the Bible for instruction, and, O, what 
an inexpressible glory has beamed therefrom ! A new 
blessedness has appeared while receiving Christ as a 
Savior from all sin — a present Savior, a full Savior. 
How glorious the consideration to one who has all her 
life in some degree been subject to bondage ! Truly I 
can now say, the Holy Spirit has led me into the truth, 
and the truth has made me free. I no longer feel like a 
wanderer, but like a child at home. My weary soul now 
rests in Christ, and finds ' his yoke easy, and his burden 
.ight.' With entire confidence can I now commit all 
my interests, temporal and spiritual, into his hands, and 



NATURAL AND SPIRITUAL JOY. 137 

feel that they are safe. My greatest desire is to know 
and do the will of my heavenly Father, and to possess 
all the mind of Christ. I feel deeply interested in the 
progress of holiness. With all my heart can I bid God- 
speed to those who are engaged in promoting this bless- 
ed cause." * 

• iiuide to Christian Perfection, vol. iii p. 39. 

12* 



138 



CHAPTER SIXTEENTH. 

ON THE NATURE AND RELATIONS OF EMOTIONAi, 
EXPERIENCE. 

Some of the remarks and positions in the two last chap- 
ters seem to prepare the way for a few general observa- 
tions, which are of considerable practical importance, on 
what may be termed the emotional form of religious 
experience. 

The doctrine, which we propose to advance on this 
somewhat difficult subject, may be regarded as imply- 
ing the admission of two things : first, that the mind, in 
some important and true sense, is departmental ; that it ex- 
ists in the three departments of the Intellect, the Sensibil- 
ities, and the Will ; and that the emotional or emotive 
states constitute a distinct and important subordinate 
division in these departments : and second, that the 
operations of the Holy Spirit on the human mind are 
various ; that they may embrace the whole of these 
departments, reaching and controlling the whole mind ; 
or that, under certain circumstances, they may stop either 
at the intellectual department or at the emotive division 
of the sensitive department, producing certain important 
results, but leaving others without being realized. 

We proceed then to remark, in the first place, that it 
is the office of the Holy Spirit to operate, on the appro- 
priate occasions of such operation, upon the human in- 
tellect ; and especially by guiding it in the perception 
of the truth. The mode of the Spirit's operation upon 
the intellectual part, as it is upon other parts of the mind, 
is in many respects mysterious ; but the ordinary result 
of his influences is the commuuication of truth ; that 



NATURE OF EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE. 139 

is to say, the soul, when it is thus operated upon, knows 
spiritually what it did not know before. And it may 
properly be added, that the knowledge which is thus 
communicated will vary, both in kind and degree, in 
accordance with the nature of the subject or facts to be 
illustrated, and with the special circumstances, whatever 
they may be, which render a divine communication 
necessary. But it is not ordinarily to be expected that 
the operation, of which we are now speaking, will stop 
with the intellect. By an original law of our mental 
nature, the perception of truth, which is the result of an 
intellectual act, is ordinarily followed by an effect upon 
that portion of the mind which is usually designated as 
the emotional or emotive susceptibility ; a part of the 
mind which, as it is subsequent in the time of its action, 
is sometimes figuratively descried "as being back of 
the intellect." The effect upon the emotive susceptibil- 
ity, resulting from an operation on the intellect, will be 
different at different times and under different circum- 
stances ; varying in nature and degree, according to the 
nature and degree of the truth which is presented, and 
also, in part, in accordance with its own previous situa- 
tion at the time of its being affected. The truth, for 
instance, that Jesus Christ came to save sinners, will be 
attended with very pleasant emotions in one who feels 
himself to be a sinner, and to stand in need of a Savior ; 
but will not be likely to be attended with any such effect 
in one with whom this is not the case. We can sup- 
pose, therefore, notwithstanding the general law which 
has just now been specified, an operation of the Holy 
Spirit upon the intellect, which is attended with no ben- 
eficial, with no sanctifying and saving effect upon the 
heart. Indeed, there are some cases, where the truth 
which is impressed by a divine operation upon the intel- 
lect is met and rejected, in the sensibilities, with feelings 
of opposition and contempt. But experience of this na- 
ture, which meets with no acceptance beyond the intel- 
lect, although it may have its origin intellectually in the 
operation of the Spirit of God, is not regarded as religious 



140 ON THE NATURE AND RELATIONS 

experience ; and therefore it is not necessary to dwell 
longer upon it here. 

(II. ) But let us look at the subject a little further. It 
is well known, that there are instances quite different from 
those which have just been referred to. We will sup- 
pose, therefore, the case of a person who is the subject 
of a divine operation. Under the influence of this inward 
operation, he experiences, to a considerable extent, new 
views of his own situation, of his need of a Savior, and 
of the restoration ofrhis soul to God in spiritual union. 
The operation which has been experienced, so far, is 
purely intellectual. Of the necessity and value of such 
intellectual influences, there can be no doubt ; but I 
believe it is generally conceded that, in themselves 
alone, they do not, and cannot, constitute religion. But 
in addition to this, w* will suppose that an effect, and 
perhaps a very decided effect, has been experienced in 
the emotive part, which in its action is subsequent to 
that of the intellect. The person has very pleasant emo- 
tions. The perception of new truth, as we should nat- 
urally expect, gives him happiness ; and the perception 
of its relation to his salvation gives him still more hap- 
piness. He is very happy. He begins to speak a new 
language. His mouth is filled with praise. And others 
praise the Lord on his account. 

But has such a person religion, as his friends are very 
desirous to believe, and are very apt to declare ? He has 
an experience, undoubtedly. We are willing to admit 
that he has a valuable experience — an experience which 
is naturally preparatory to religion, and is closely con- 
nected with it, and looks very much like it. But if 
the experience stops here, in such a manner as to con- 
stitute a merely emotional experience, and without reach- 
ing and affecting a still more inward and important part 
of the mind, as seems sometimes to be the case, we 
cannot with good reasons regard it as a truly religious 
experience j meaning by the terms an experience which 
meets the expectations and the demands of God, and 
which is saving. It is valuable ; it is encouraging ; it 



OF EMOTIONAL, EXPERIENCE. 14J 

is closely connected with religion ; but it is not the thing 
itself. We may perhaps designate it as a preparative or 
incident to religion without being religion ; and although 
we may thank the Lord for what it is, especially in its 
hopeful relations, it is still true, that the essential and 
indispensable element of the inward life is not there. 
. (III.) There are mental susceptibilities, which, on 
account of their being subsequent in the time of their 
action, may be described as lying back of the emotive 
part of the mind, as truly as the emotions can be said 
to lie back of the intellectual part. In making this 
remark, we have especial reference to the desires in their 
various modifications — particularly those modifications 
which are denominated the affections, — and to the will. 
Any religion, or rather pretence of religion, which is not 
powerful enough to penetrate into this region of the mind, 
and to bring the affections and will into subjection to 
God, is in vain. It is an important fact, and as melan- 
choly as it is true, that a person may be spiritually enlight- 
tened and have new views on the subject of religion, 
and that he may also have very raised and joyful emotions, 
and yet may be a slave to his natural desires. He has 
not experienced what every one must experience, who 
would enter into communion with the Divine Mind, viz., 
the death of nature. He loves the things of the world 
more than the things of God. Many, very many, are 
the instances which can verify this remark. As the re- 
sult of their intellectual illumination, the persons to whom 
these statements will apply are undoubtedly in advance 
of what they were previously, and are able to talk flu- 
ently on the subject of religion. And, in consequence of 
some premature application of the Savior's merits to their 
own case, they can speak of pleasures and of hopes which 
they never before experienced. But only urge upon 
them the necessity of self-crucifixion ; only touch the 
idols which they cherish in their inner heart ; and they 
discover at once the dominion which the world has over 
them still. God has not become the life of the soul. 
At a proposition so necessary to the life of God and so 



142 ON THE NATURE AND RELATIONS 

repugnant to the life of nature, the spirit of antamed 
and almost unmitigated evil, which reposed so closely 
and secretly in their bosoms, will start into existence 
with features of opposition and malignity altogether at 
variance with the peace and purity of a holy heart. 

(1.) In connection with this subject, one or two re- 
marks may properly be made. And one is, that we 
may probably discover in these principles the reason 
why it is, that, in times of especial religious attention, 
so many persons, who appeared to be much engaged in 
religion for a season, subsequently lose their interest, 
and become, both in practice and feeling, assimilated to 
the world. Such persons are undoubtedly the subjects 
of an inward experience ; and this experience, in com- 
mon parlance, is frequently called a religious experience ; 
but it is obviously defective in the essential particular 
of not having a root. " But he that received the word 
into stony places, the same is he that heareth the 
word, and anon with joy receiveth it. Yet hath he not 
root in himself." Notwithstanding their increased abil- 
ity and readiness to converse on the subject of religion, 
and the exhibitions which they make of emotion, some- 
times of high emotion, they do not understand what it 
is to place themselves a living sacrifice upon the divine 
altar. They do not appreciate, and still less do they 
realize in their own hearts and lives, the "all of God 
and nothing of the creature." 

(2. ) Another remark is this : We would not have it 
inferred, from what has been said, that we regard what 
we denominate emotional experience as being without 
value. It is true, that such experience is valueless when 
it stops in itself, and becomes nothing more than mere 
emotional experience. But though valueless in itself, 
it is not valueless in its relations; and especially it is 
not so, when it is followed by those results to which 
we naturally expect it to lead. And hence we may 
properly say, in estimating the experiences which the 
mind is likely to pass through in seasons of religious 
attention, that it is a matter of some encouragement 



OF EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE. 143 

when light is communicated to the intellect though in 
a small degree. It is matter of encouragement also, 
and still more so, when we see these intellectual im- 
pressions followed by a consentient and gratified move- 
ment in the emotions. But the danger is in encour- 
aging those, who are the subjects of them, in believing 
that they are religious, when they are merely the sub- 
jects of that which, in a favorable aspect of it, can be 
regarded only as preparatory to religion. This dan- 
ger, which is imminent, and in many cases has proved 
destructive, ought to be carefully guarded against ; es- 
pecially by those who, as ministers of the gospel, and 
as professed religious teachers, are supposed to have a 
better acquaintance than others with the facts and prin- 
ciples of religious experience. 

(3.) In concluding the remarks of this chapter, we 
take the liberty to urge upon all, who wish to live the 
true inward life, the importance of not resting satisfied 
with mere intellectual light, however valuable it may be ; 
of not resting satisfied with joyful, or any other emo- 
tions, which stop and terminate in themselves ; and of 
acting invariably upon the principle, that nothing ought 
to satisfy themselves, and that nothing can satisfy God, 
but the subjection of every natural desire, and the sub- 
stitution of desires, affections, and purposes, which ter- 
minate in God, and God alone. Move onward, there- 
fore, with a firmness which no obstacle shall shake, to 
the entire revolution and renewal of the inward nature ; 
the increased illumination of the conscience, that great 
light of the mind ; the sanctification of the desires, 
which embrace the whole propensive and "affectional " 
nature; and the subjection of the will, which is natu- 
rally so proud and rebellious, to the will of God. Feai 
not that God will desert you. Aided by the intellectual 
light which he has seen fit to give, and by those favor- 
able emotions he has already excited, form the fixed, 
unalterable purpose, "the high resolve," in reliance 
upon divine grace, to be wholly his. No doubt, in 
many cases, the struggle will be severe. The unsanc- 



144 NATURE OF EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE. 

tified desires especially, including the various appetites, 
propensities, and affections, which form so important a 
part of our nature, are selfish and tenacious ; and, con- 
sidered as opposed to any and all kuman strength, 
are undoubtedly invincible. But God has said, " My 
grace is sufficient for thee." His word shall never fail ; 
and least of all, in such a struggle, in which his own 
heart of infinite love is enlisted. Desire after desire 
will fall ; idol after idol will be demolished ; the 
Christian graces will successively gain the ascendency ; 
till the Holy Ghost shall take up his permanent resi- 
dence in his own purified temple, and victory will sit 
crowned in the centre of the heart. 



" Jehovah, Sovereign of my heart ! 

My joy by night and day ! 
From Thee, O, may 1 never part, 

From Thee ne'er go astray ! 

" Whene'er allurements round me stand, 
And tempt me from my choice, 

O, let me find thy gracious hand ' 
O, let rae hear thv voice ! ' 



145 



CHAPTER SEVENTEENTH 

SOME MARKS OR CHARACTERISTICS OF PERFECTlOr 
OF LOVE. 

If the doctrine, which is variously termed sanctifi- 
cation, evangelical holiness, and evangelical or Christian 
perfection, be true, or if the related and equivalent doc- 
trine, which is denominated assurance of faith, be true, 
then it will follow that it is our duty and privilege, even 
in the present life, to realize in our own souls the fulfil- 
ment of that great command, " Thou shalt love the Lord 
thy God with all thy heart." In other words, it is our 
duty and privilege to possess what may properly be 
called " perfect love." Accordingly, it becomes a very 
important and interesting inquiry, When can our love 
properly be said to be perfect ? It will be our object, in 
the remarks which follow in this chapter, to endeavor 
to answer this inquiry. 

But, before proceeding, it may be proper to premise 
here, that perfection of love implies the removal or ex- 
tinction of all selfishness. In other words, perfect love 
is always pure love. We may probably conceive of 
love which is pure in its nature, but is deficient in 
some respects ; either in degree, or more probably in its 
extent and applications. But we cannot conceive of 
love which is acceptable to God, and is perfect in degree, 
which has any intermixture of selfishness. 

Another remark which may properly be made here 
is this : Perfection of love is necessarily relative to the 
capacity of the subject of it. In other words, what 
would be perfection of love in one would not be in 
another, whose capacity of loving is greater. That 
precise amount or degree of love, in man, which would 
13 



146 SOME MARKS Oil CHARACTERISTICS 

be characterized as perfect in consequence of being all 
his capacity could render, would be imperfect in an 
angel or other being of greater capacity. 

With these remarks in recollection, we proceed to in- 
quire, when our love to God may be regarded as per- 
fect. In other words, when shall we know, or at least 
have reasonable grounds to believe, that we fulfil in our 
own hearts that great and excellent command, " Thou 
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and soul, 
and mind, and strength " ? Love to a human object is 
generally understood to embrace two things : first, a 
pleasure or complacency in the object ; and second, a 
desire to do good to that object. When speaking of 
God, who sustains to us a relation higher and different 
from that sustained by human beings, we may with pro- 
priety alter the form of expression slightly, although 
with essentially the same idea at the bottom, and say 
that love to God embraces two things : first, a pleasure 
or complacency in his character ; and second, a desire to 
promote his glory. The characteristics of entireness 
or perfection of love, which we shall proceed to men- 
tion, are based, in part, upon this distinction. 

First. Accordingly, the first mark of perfect love to 
God is an entire approbation of and delight in his char- 
acter in all respects. In other words, approving and 
complacent emotions, without the least intermixture of 
doubt and dissatisfaction, arise in view of his power and 
justice, as well as of his goodness and mercy ; so that we 
delight truly and continually in his whole character, and 
in all the exhibitions of his character, as they are actu- 
ally made known to us in the Holy Scriptures or in any 
other way. The least want of trust and complacency in 
the divine character will necessarily be a vicious ingre- 
dient or element in the affection of love, which cannot 
fail to diffuse weakness and imperfection throughout. 
This is one point, then, on which it is important to ex- 
amine ourselves. If we find that the character of God, 
as it presents itself to notice in all its varieties, appears 
to us exceedingly pure and lovely; if we contemplate 



OF PERFECTION OF LOVE. 147 

it wi.h a perfect conviction that all its manifestations 
will be in accordance with truth, mercy, and righteous- 
ness, and with no other emotions in any respect than 
those of entire complacency, then we have reason to 
think that we have one of the marks or characteristics 
of perfection of love. Not, in all probability, the lead- 
ing and decisive, but still an indispensable one. 

Second. A second mark of perfect love to God is the 
existence of a desire to promote his glory, (which is the 
other higher and more decisive characteristic of this com- 
plex mental state,) in such a degree, that we are not con- 
scious of having any desire or will at variance with the 
will of God. 

In other words, it is our sincere and constant desire to 
do and suffer in all things the will of God. When such 
is the case, when there is an entire and cordial acquies- 
cence of our own in the will of God, both to do and to 
suffer, we have the second mark — and we may add, also, 
the most important and satisfactory one — that our love is 
perfect. The nature of the human mind is such, that 
we never can have an entire and cordial acquiescence 
in the will of God in all things, without an antecedent 
approval of and complacency in his character and admin- 
istration. Accordingly, the second mark, viz., a will en- 
tirely accordant with and lost in the will of God, is of it- 
self sufficient, inasmuch as it necessarily includes and em- 
braces the first. And by this mark alone, as I suppose, 
we might know whether our love is or is not perfect. 

We may, perhaps, illustrate this view of the subject, 
by what we sometimes notice in the various forms and 
degrees of filial love. We will take, in the first place, 
the case of a child, who is sincerely attached to his 
father, but who, as we sometimes express it, exhibits a 
"will of his own." This child undoubtedly loves his 
father very much ; but at the same time he does not 
always do, with entire pleasure and readiness, what his 
father wishes him to do. He sometimes hesitates, exhib- 
its a clouded brow, or utters an impatient expression. 



148 SOME MARKS OR CHARACTERISTICS 

when certain things are required of him. He has certain 
little objects of his own, which he is very much attached 
to ; and if his father's plans happen to cross and oppose 
them, he exhibits, in a greater or less degree, a disposi- 
tion to set up for himself and to rebel. And when he 
outwardly obeys, it is found that he does it reluctantly, 
and not with a will harmonizing and blending with the 
paternal will. Now, we may say very truly, that this 
child loves his father — perhaps he loves him very much 
— and yet it is clear he does not love him perfectly. 
But when we see a child who is happy only when he 
sees his father happy ; whose delight it is to anticipate 
the father's wishes ; whose will, by a sort of instinctive 
tendency, is invariably and powerfully united and blend- 
ed with the paternal will, so that the least opposition 
between the two wills is a source of the greatest grief 
to him, we at once feel, and cannot help feeling, that the 
love of such a child may properly be called perfect. And 
in accordance with this view, it is said to have been one 
of the sa3dngs of the devout Francis Xavier, that " the 
perfection of the creature consists in willing nothing but 
the will of the Creator." 

What other idea of perfection of love can we have 
than this ? The heart of such a person is made one 
with another heart ; and what could we ask for more t 
This, then, more than any thing else, is the decisive 
mark of perfection in Christian love, viz., an entire 
coincidence of our own wills with the divine will ; in 
other words, the rejection of the natural principle of 
life, which may be described as love terminating in self 
and constituting self-will ; and the adoption of the 
heavenly principle of life, which is love terminating and 
fulfilled in the will of God. And this view, which is 
practically, as well as theologically, a very important 
one, seems to be confirmed by what the Savior says of 
himself in a number of passages. John vi. 38 : " For I 
came down from heaven not to do mine own will, but 
the will of him that sent me. ' : John iv. 34: "Jesus 



OF PERFECTION OF LOVE. 149 

saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that, 
sent me, and to finish his work." Heb. x. 9 : " Then 
said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God." The same 
idea, viz., that perfection of Christian love exists, and 
exists only in connection with a will united to and per- 
fectly coincident with the will of God, is conveyed in 
that interesting passage, Mark iii. 34, 35 : " And he 
looked round about on them which sat about him, and 
said, Behold my mother and my brethren ! for whosoever 
shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and 
my sister, and mother." Matt. vi. 21 : "Not every one 
that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the 
kingdom of heaven ; but he that doeth the will of my 
Father which is in heaven." 

Third. As closely connected with what has been 
laid down as the second characteristic of perfect love, 
we remark, again, that perfect love excludes, in a great 
degree, and perhaps entirely, any reflections upon self 
(or " reflex acts," as they are sometimes termed) which 
are of a self-interested or selfish character. In other 
words, perfect love, when in actual exercise, implies a 
forgetfulness of self. Whenever our thoughts return 
upon ourselves ; whenever, in the exercise of u reflex 
acts," we begin to inquire into the specific nature of our 
feelings, for the purpose of estimating the amount of 
their enjoyment; whenever we experience a jealousy, 
that God does not give to us all those returns and caress- 
es of love which we should be pleased with ; we may 
be assured that, although we may possibly love much, 
we might love much more. In other words, our love, 
whatever other terms may be applied to it, cannot be 
regarded as perfect. It is the nature of perfect love, in 
its forgetfulness of self, to array the object towards which 
it is directed in every possible excellence. To that 
object, so far as it is truly worthy of its attachment, it 
gives the strength of its affections, without reservation 
and without limits. It is perfectly self-sacrificing ; and 
it would account itself dishonored and degraded, if it 
turned back on itself for a moment, to estimate its own 
13* 



150 SOME M4RKS OR CHARACTERISTICS 

reward. It has its reward, it is true. Perfect love is 
necessarily its own rewarder. But the reward comes 
without seeking, and is enjoyed so entirely without 
notice, that it does not turn the mind away a moment 
from the object of its affections. 

A number of inferences easily follow from these gen- 
eral views, and which may be regarded as furnishing 
some additional or secondary marks of perfected love. 

(1.) A person who has perfect love will love his 
Bible above all other books. It will be dear to his 
heart, an inexpressible treasure. And the reason is 
obvious. It is because in the Bible he learns the will 
of God, which he delights in more than in any thing 
else. And hence it is one of the artifices of Satan, who 
is no friend of the Bible, to endeavor to detach devout 
minds from the study of the Divine Word, under the 
plausible pretence that the inward teachings of the 
Spirit are of more value than the outward letter — an 
artifice which he, who desires a close walk with God, 
will carefully guard against ; remembering that God can- 
not consistently, and will not, neglect and dishonor his 
own divine communications ; that the Holy Spirit oper- 
ates in a peculiar manner, in connection with the written 
Word ; and that he who deserts the Word of God 
may reasonably expect to be deserted by the Spirit. 

(2.) Perfect love will exhibit a trait of permanency 
and perseverance under the most trying circumstances. 
Our fears and hopes vary ; our joys and sorrows vary ; 
but we may reasonably expect that the love, which is 
pure in its nature and perfect in its degree, will continue 
the same. There is no reason why it should change, 
since the object at which it aims is the same with the 
immutable will of God. The will of God is its true 
life. Accordingly, when, in the providence of God, we 
are afflicted, our joys will be less, but there will be no 
diminution of love. Joy flourishes in the sunshine, but 
love grows and flourishes in the storm also. God may 
hide his face from us, but hearts of love still look in 
that direction where his face is. The Savior, on a cer 



OF PERFECTION OF LOVE. 151 

tain occasion, was greatly afflicted. His language was, 
"My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death." 
His joy was taken from him, but his love remained. 
He could still say, while he prayed that the cup might, 
if possible, pass from him, " Nevertheless, not as I will, 
but as Thou wilt." 

(3.) We remark, in conclusion, that those, in whom 
-he love of God is perfected, will love the children of 
God with peculiar strength. Perfect love is the image 
of Christ in the soul ; and wherever we see that image, — 
in whatever denomination of Christians, and in what- 
ever persons, — our hearts will recognize the divine rela- 
tionship, and rejoice in it. Without this strong love to 
those who bear the divine image, we may be sure that 
our love is not perfect. It is God's great work, and 
highest delight, to create this image in the hearts of 
men ; and if our will is swallowed up in his will, we 
sha n rejoice in it in some degree as he does, and shall 
know the delightful meaning of those numerous pas- 
sages of Scripture which speak of the love of Christians 
to each other. 



" 'Tis Love unites what sin divides, 
The centre, where all bliss resides ; 

To which the soul once brought, 
Reclining on the first Great C ause, 
From his abounding sweetness draws 

Peace, passing human thotght." 



'52 SOME MARKS OR CHARACTERISTICS. 



[Francis de Sales, at the end of his Religious Maxims, relates tne 
following conversation, as having taken place between Thauler, a 
learned and popular preacher of the fourteenth century, and an obscure 
beggar. It is introduced here, as having some connection with a por 
tion of the foregoing chapter.] 

" A great divine prayed to God, during the space of 
eight years, that he would be graciously pleased to di- 
rect him to a man who might teach him the true way 
to heaven. It was said to him at length, ' Go to such a 
church porch, and there thou shalt find a man, who will 
instruct thee in the spiritual life.' Accordingly he went, 
and found a poor beggar very meanly clad. He salu- 
ted him in these words, ' God give you a good day, my 
friend ! ' The poor man answered, f Sir, I do not remem- 
ber that I ever had an evil day.' The doctor said to 
him, ' God give you a good and happy life ! ' { Why say 
you that ? ' replied the beggar ; ' I never was unhappy.' 
' God bless you, my friend ! ' said the doctor ; ' pray tell 
me what you mean.' He replied, ' That I shall will- 
ingly do. I told you first, I never had an evil day ; for 
when I have hunger, I praise God ; if it rain, hail, snow, 
or freeze ; be it fair or foul ; or if I am despised or ill- 
used, — I return God thanks j so I never had an ill day : 
nor have I ever been unhappy, since I have learned 
always to resign myself to his will, being very certain 
of this, that all his works are perfectly good ; and there- 
fore I never desire any thing else but the good pleasure 
of God.' Then said the doctor, ' But what if the good 
pleasure of God should be to cast you hence into hell ? ' 
' If he would do so,' replied the other, ' I have two 
arms to embrace him with ; the one whereof is a pro- 
found humility, by which I am united to his holy hu- 
manity ; the other is love or charity, which joins me to 
his divinity. Embraced with these two arms, he would 
descend with me thither, if thither he ordered me ; and 
there I had infinitely rather be with him, than in paradise 
without him.' Hereby the doctor* learned, that a true 
resignation to the divine will, acr-ompani d with pro- 



OF PERFECTION OF LOVE. 153 

found humility of heart, is the shortest way to attain 
God's love. 

" After that, he asked him, again, from whence he came. 
The poor man answered, God sent him. The doctor 
inquired of him where he found God? He replied, 'I 
found him where I had renounced all the creatures.' ' And 
where did you leave him ? ' said the doctor. . He replied, 
' With the poor in spirit, the pure in heart, and men of char- 
ity.' ' But who are you ? ' says the divine. * I am a king,' 
says the beggar. ' Where is your kingdom ? ' says the 
former. 'In my soul,' says the latter. 'I have learned 
to bring into subjection and to govern my senses, as 
well outward as inward, with my affections and passions 
— which kingdom is undoubtedly superior to all the 
kingdoms of this world. 5 The doctor then asked him 
by what means he had attained to such perfection. He 
answered, 'By silence, watchfulness, meditation, prayer, 
and the union I have with God. I could find no sure 
repose, or comfort, in any creature of the world ; by 
means whereof I found out my God, who will comfort 
me world without end. 5 " 



154 



CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 



ON THE JOY OF FAITH, IN THE WANT AND DESOLA 
TION OF ALL THINGS ELSE. 



" In the world ye shall have tribulation," is a decla- 
ration of the Savior, confirmed by individual and gen- 
eral experience. Even the most devoted Christians are 
not exempt. The tribulations, to which the people of 
God are subject, are internal as well as external — sor- 
rows of the mind as well as sufferings of the body 
Sometimes they are very great. There are some occa 
sions, on which all those subordinate consolations, of 
which God generally permits his people in a greater 01 
less degree to partake, are taken away. There is left 
to them neither the vivacity of health nor the conso- 
lation of friends ; no pleasures of social intercourse; no 
prosperity in worldly business ; no rest from outward 
persecutions : no cessations from the bitter temptations 
of the adversary. This, it will be said, is an extreme 
case ; but it is only extreme cases of which, in the 
present chapter, we propose to speak. There is rea- 
son to suppose that many souls, whom God designs to 
bring to the highest degree of purity in this life, es- 
pecially if they are disposed to resist, and do not render 
themselves up easily to his great purpose, will be called 
upon to pass through some heavy and perhaps extreme 
trials. Such trials seem oftentimes to be rendered neces- 
sary — necessary not in the nature of things, but on 
account of the corruption of the natural heart. The 
possession of internal purity implies the entire cruci- 
fixion of self; and this is an operation which the natu- 
ral heart finds it hard to submit to. Hence it is that 



ON THE JOY OF FAITH. 155 

earthly joys are temporarily dried up, that human con- 
solations are taken away, and " the axe is laid at the 
root " of all the sources of self-seeking and self-enjoy- 
ment, in order that the soul may experience the truth 
and the severity of inward crucifixion. 

It is at such a time, and amid these various and un- 
mitigated trials, that the soul sustains itself by faith — 
by what is variously called in different writers, but gen- 
erally, as I suppose, with the same meaning, "simple 
faith," " pure faith," or "naked faith." And there seems 
to be a marked propriety in these forms of expression ; 
because faith, as the sustaining principle, stands at such 
times alone. All human supports are removed. On 
every side there appears discouragement and darkness; 
and it is by faith, and faith only, that the soul is enabled 
to retain its religious integrity. It is under such cir- 
cumstances that faith becomes, as it were, a superior and 
guiding faculty of the soul ; upon which the others, 
especially the various inferior principles, seem to rest. 
While the subordinate principles of our nature, the nat- 
ural desires, and the various forms of natural affection, 
are assailed by their appropriate temptations, and some 
times in a very severe and terrible manner, they derive 
from the sublime principle of faith, which stands in its 
central position of strength and grandeur, a defensive 
and repulsive power, which makes them more than con- 
querors. 

But the principle, or truth, which we wish particularly 
to impress upon the reader's mind in these remarks, is 
this : When all earthly comforts are dried up, and when 
faith alone remains as the sustaining principle of the soul, 
there is an interior consolation, deep and tranquil, flow- 
ing out from faith itself. This is a circumstance which 
is often overlooked. But it is a great truth, contrary to 
the opinion of some who do not fully understand the 
nature of the divine operation in the soul, that there is a 
joy in faith. The life of faith, though it may be des- 
titute of every outward support and comfort, is not so 
desolate in itself, so wanting in every thing that brings 



156 ON THE JOT OF FAITH. 

inward happiness, as some seem to suppose. It is true 
sustained in the spirit of self-sacrifice, and seeking noth- 
ing but unity with the divine will, it never aims at con- 
solation as an ultimate object. It thinks more of what 
God is, than of what he gives. And thus God himself, 
the great original of all good, becomes the fountain ot 
the soul's joy ; and the joy which is thus experienced 
is necessarily a pure joy, uncontaminated by any mix- 
ture of self. Ask those pious persons who, in the exer- 
cise of faith, are endeavoring to lay all upon the altar of 
God, but who, nevertheless, are called, in the course of 
his wise but mysterious dealings and providences, to pass 
through the extremity of interior and exterior desolation, 
if they are sustained by any thing in the nature of con- 
solation, and they will readily answer in the affirmative. 
Their language is, — if they have nothing else, they have 
the consolation which flows from believing ; if the 
sweetness of every other fountain is closed, they still 
have the joy of faith. 

This is one of the unalterable conditions of faith, es 
pecially when it exists in a high degree, viz., that it is 
attended with a pure and tranquil consolation — consola- 
tion so sure and permanent, that we can never be de- 
prived of it, whatever else may be taken away. The 
soul is led up, as it were, into the mountain of God's 
protection. In the attitude of calm repose, it remains 
established on that sublime height, with the sunlight of 
heavenly peace for its companion, while there is nothing 
but darkness and the roaring of tempests in the valleys 
below. Such was the pure and sublime consolation 
which our Savior experienced, when his heavenly Father 
had withdrawn from him the manifestations of his love, 
and left him in extreme and inexpressible desolation of 
spirit. He still possessed, though apparently and terribly 
forsaken, the consolation and the joy of faith. He could 
still recognize the bond of union, and still appropriate, as 
it were, his heavenly Fattier to himself, and say, "My 
God! My God!" 



U7 



CHAPTER NINETEENTH. 

ON TH* NATURE OF THE TEMPTATIONS OF A SANCT1 
FIED HEART. 

It is our object, in the present chapter, to give a gen- 
eral outline of the subject of temptations ; but particu- 
larly of the temptations of a heart that is so far given to 
the Lord, that it may properly be regarded as in a state 
of assurance and of sanctification. Temptations, or 
tempting objects, are those objects which are presented 
by the intellect to the sensibilities and the will ; and are 
of such a nature that they have a tendency to induce or 
cause, in the sensitive part of our nature, viz., in the ap- 
petites, propensities, and affections, and also in the will, 
a wrong action. Sometimes the action, to which the 
temptations lead, is wrong in the fact of its existence, 
or in itself considered ; and sometimes it is wrong only 
in the degree of its existence. If the temptations ad- 
vance in their influence beyond the intellect, and take 
effect in the desires and will, prompting them to action 
when they should not act at all, or prompting them to a 
prohibited and inordinate degree of action when they are 
permitted to act, they are always attended with sin. 
And in accordance with this general and somewhat in- 
definite statement, temptations may be regarded as pre- 
senting themselves to our notice in two aspects, or in two 
points of view. 

First. We observe, in the first place, that the tend- 
ency of temptations, in some instances, is to bring feel- 
ngs into existence, which, under the circumstances of 
the case, are wrong in the very fact of their existence, — 
wrong in their very nature, — and which, therefore, ought 
vtot to exist at all. The temptation, bv a special con- 
14 



158 ON THE NATURE OF THE TEMPTATIONS 

currence of circumstances, or through the well-calcu 
lated influence of Satanic agency, is precisely adapted to 
that particular wrong result. And if the feeling, appro- 
priate to the temptation, exists, not only in a degree in- 
ordinate and irregular, but if it exists at all, it is sin. 
Our Savior was at a certain time tempted by having the 
kingdoms and wealth of this world presented before him, 
obviously with the view of their being desired and pos- 
sessed by him as a means of personal aggrandizement 
and enjoyment ; but we suppose we give the general 
sentiment of Christians, and of biblical interpreters, in 
saying, that the temptation went no farther, and undei 
the circumstances of the case could innocently go no 
farther, than the thoughts. It had no effect upon the 
Savior's desires or will ; that is to say, it secured no 
pleased and consentient action ; but was instantly re- 
jected. The temptation presented to the Savior at the 
same time, to throw himself down from the temple, is 
equally appropriate and decisive, considered as an illus- 
tration of the present subject. It could hardly be con- 
sidered less than a proposition, under a very specious 
pretext, to commit himself immediately and fully into 
the hands of Satan, instead of remaining in the will and 
under the government of God. Considered intellectu- 
ally, or rather in reference to the intellect, there is no 
doubt that the temptation was distinctly perceived and 
appreciated in itself and in its relations. Without this, it 
could hardly be regarded as a temptation. But it seems 
very obvious that it found no entrance into the heart ; 
and the only action which it did or could produce, in 
such a pure spirit as the Savior's, was that of decided 
resistance, resulting in its iastant rejection. 

In connection with what has now been said in this 
part of the subject, we proceed to make one or two ex- 
planatory remarks ; and the first is, that the incipient, 
and what may be called, in the cases we "are now con 
sidering, the innocent stage of the temptation, is when the 
object which imbodies the temptation, or is the medium 
of temptation, is first presented to us intellectually ; — 



OF A SANCTIFIED HEART. 159 

that is to say, in our mere thoughts or perceptions, and 
is there perceived and known, not only as an object, but 
as an object of temptation. If it stops at the limit of the 
intellectual action, and does not enter into the heart and 
the will, there is no sin. It is obviously necessary, in 
ill cases of temptation, that the object should exist first 
_n this manner, viz., intellectually; in other words, that 
it should exist in the thoughts, or be perceived and 
thought of. Without this, viz., the perceived or intel- 
lective presence of the object, it is entirely clear that 
there could not possibly be any such thing as temptation. 
But, as has been observed, the temptation may exist to 
this extent, and may be perceived and felt by us so far 
to exist, without sin. 

A further remark, which we have to make here, is this : 
Temptations, limited in their results to the intellectual 
action, and which do not in any degree take effect in the 
desires, could not properly be considered temptations, 
vithout the physical or natural possibility of a further 
and sinful action of the mind ; without an internal con- 
viction of that possibility ; and perhaps we may add, with- 
out a distinct sense of danger. Hence, when tempta- 
tions of this particular character are presented, although 
they do not take effect in the desires, they are both per- 
ceived and felt to be temptations ; that is to say, there is 
a clear perception of their true character, both in them- 
selves and in relation to certain possible results. And 
in addition to this, there appears to be an instinctive and 
prompt alarm of the sensitive and moral nature. The 
desires and affections are not inert and dormant, as some 
may perhaps suppose ; neither are the conscience and the 
will ; but all seem to be penetrated with the sense or 
imminent hazard, and are thrown into the conscious atti- 
tude of repellency. 

Second. We pass now to another class of cases. In 
some cases, different from those which have been de- 
scribed, the temptation passes the limit of the intellectual 
action, and actually takes effect in the emotions and de- 
sires, and yet without sin. The foundation of this view 



160 ON THE NATURE OF THE TEMPTATIONS 

of the subject is, that there are many emotions ana 
desires which in their nature are morally and religiously 
right and lawful, and are wrong only in their degree. 
The temptation (that is, the object which possesses the 
seducing or tempting power) is presented intellectually, 
just as in the first case ; and it is desired, received into 
the affections, and delighted in, to a certain limit or de- 
gree. The precise place or mark of this limit or degree 
will be different under different circumstances ; varying 
with the precise nature of the seducing or tempting ob- 
ject, and with the precise position and responsibilities of 
the person who is the subject of the temptation. But 
wherever it may be, it is susceptible of being ascertained 
in various ways, either by a reference to the commands of 
God, or by the indications of an enlightened conscience, 
or by the special operations of the Holy Spirit, and 
not unfrequently by their combined influence. At that 
particular limit or boundary in the desires and affections, 
wherever it may be found to exist, the temptation, in 
the case of a truly holy person, and in the case of every 
person who does what is right, necessarily stops ; just as, 
in the first -mentioned class of temptations, it stops with 
the limit or boundary of the intellectual action. And in 
this case also, as well as in the other, there is a conscious 
perception and feeling of danger, when the temptation 
approaches the boundary in our desires and affections, 
which it ought not to pass, accompanied, at the same 
time, with an internal and repellent effort of the mind. 

A single remark further remains to be made, in con- 
nection with this part of the subject. Looking at the 
subject of temptations in relation to the intellect, there 
seems to be ground for saying, that we may properly 
make a distinction between intentions or thoughts of evil 
and evil thoughts. All wandering and unprofitable 
thoughts, and indeed, all thoughts which have not a 
connection, either directly or indirectly, with the glory of 
God, are evil, just so far as they are at the time under 
our control, and are susceptible of being made to assume 
a different and better character. But thoughts of evil, 



OF A SANCTIFIED HEART. 161 

that is to say, ideas or suggestions of some evil to be 
done, which are introduced or injected into the mind 
from a source external to itself, or which, on certain oc- 
casions, arise necessarily and involuntarily in the mind, 
are not evil, unless they are consented to in act or in feel- 
ing. The form of expression here will be noticed, viz., 
so far as they arise necessarily and involuntarily. If 
they originate in ourselves by a voluntary movement, and 
are cherished by our own acts, so as to make us in some 
sense the authors of our own temptations, they are ob- 
viously of a very different character, and are by no means 
free from sin. 

These views seem to present the general outline of 
the philosophy of temptations ; although undoubtedly 
the subject is not without its difficulties. And all that 
now remains is, to make a number of remarks incident- 
ally connected with this general sketch, and for the most 
part of a practical nature. 

(1.) And our first remark is, that, in the present life, 
all persons, not excepting those who are most advanced 
in holiness, are subject to temptations. Even the truly 
sanctified person is not exempt. Holy persons, like 
others, retain the attributes appropriate to man's nature ; 
differing from the same attributes in others in this respect 
only, that they are deprived of irregularities of action, and 
are entirely subordinate to the divine will. Accordingly, 
the holy person, or the person in whom faith and love exist 
in the highest degree attainable in the present life, hun- 
gers and thirsts like any other person ; he is the subject 
of the propensities and affections, which lay the founda- 
tion, and which furnish the support, of the various family 
relations ; he loves his children, parents, and other rela- 
tives, and is the subject of other natural ties and sympa- 
thies; he suffers from fatigue and sickness; he is grieved, 
troubled, and perplexed in various ways ; and even dis- 
pleasure and anger, as is evident from what was witnessed 
in the life of our Savior, are not entirely excluded. 
While, therefore, it is our privilege, even in the present 
lite, to be exempt from the commission of voluntiry and 
1 i 



162 ON THE NATURE OF THE TEMPTATIONS 

known sin, it does not appear — retaining, as we do, our 
constitutional tendencies, and remaining subject to con- 
stitutional infirmities — that we either have, or can rea- 
sonably expect, any such exemption from temptation. 
We cannot suppose that any of us, in the present life, 
can be in a better situation than our Savior, who was 
"without sin," but who nevertheless " was tempted in 
all points as we are." 

(2.) A second practical remark, proper to be made in 
connection with this subject, is this: It is hazardous to 
estimate lightly, and to trifle with, temptations. The 
person is greatly wanting in wisdom who undertakes to 
make a sport of them, or who delays a moment under the 
pressure of their influence when he can possibly escape. 
" Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation," 
is the command of Scripture. And the question is 
well asked in the book of Proverbs, vi. 27, 28, " Can a 
man take fire into his bosom and his clothes not be 
burned ? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not 
be burned ? " The Christian, who is desirous of secur- 
ing fully the approbation of his heavenly Father, must 
be careful not only to do the right and avoid the wrong ; 
but also to avoid all places, and all occasions, which 
wouJd be likely, for any reason, to lead him into wrong. 

(3.) We proceed to observe, in the third place, that 
temptations will, in general, be violent in proportion to 
the decided resistance which is made to them. And 
accordingly, although it is perhaps different from wha 
we should naturally expect, the more holy a man is, the 
more violent at times will be the temptations which he 
is called to endure. A person, who yields to temptation 
either in whole or in part, which is very apt to be the 
case with those who are not wholly devoted to the Lord, 
will not be likely to understand its full power. He does 
not oppose resistance enough to ascertain the strength of 
the aggressive movement. Satan has no inducement to 
show his full strength to the man who yields easily. 
But he who is determined to sin not at all, who had 
rather die than commit any known transgression, who 



OF A SANCTIFIED HEART. 163 

opposes the broad and upright energy of his whole being 
to the assaults of Satan, will know the immense power 
of the terrible enemy that wages war upon him. And 
it is the natural result of this general view, that when. 
in the life of practical holiness, we have taken some new 
and untried position, which for the first time we have 
ascertained to be a true and a safe one, and are under- 
taking the discharge of some new but obvious duty, we 
shall be likely, in connection with that new position, to 
be tried and tempted very severely. Satan will drive us 
from it if he can. He hates holiness, and every thing 
which is involved in holiness, and every thing which 
holiness does. He hates it in general and he hates it 
in particulars ; and whoever proposes, in aiming at 
entire holiness, to do better in a particular thing, will be 
likely to find him in the attitude of defiance and resist- 
ance just at that point. 

(4.) A fourth remark is, that it is the part of Chris- 
tian duty to endeavor to understand the nature of temp- 
tations. And as included in this, it is our duty to 
understand their specific as well as their general nature ; 
in other words, their nature in its application to ourselves 
personally. That which would be a temptation to one, 
would not be so to another. The general idea, expiessed 
by the word temptation, embraces not only the object 
which tempts, but also the subject of the temptation. 
In particular, therefore, we should study the weak and 
comparatively defenceless points in our character and 
situation ; those particulars, in which wrong influences 
will be most likely to have an effect upon us and lead 
us astray. 

(5.) We remark, again, when we are doubtful as to 
the character of the temptation, — in other words, when 
we are doubtful whether the proposed action or feeling is 
wrong or not, — we should be careful to lay the subject 
before God, and to wait for the instructions of the Holy 
Spirit, before indulging in the desire or action, whatever 
it may be. We should remain where we are and do 
nothing, rather than run the hazard of doing wrong. 



164 ON THE NATURE OF THE TEMPTATIONS 

The language of the apostle is applicable in a case of 
this kind: " Whatsoever is not of faith [that is, is not 
done in the faith or belief of its lawfulness] is sin." 

(6.) A further remark to be made is this : In seasons 
of temptation, it is highly important that we should 
remain recollected, and in the exercise of true patience 
of spirit. The adversary of our souls gains great ad- 
vantages at such times, if he can succeed in disturbing 
our peace. And in order to help us in retaining this 
valuable state of mind, we should always remember 
that our heavenly Father is present in temptations, as 
he is in every thing else. It is true, he is not the tempt- 
er, but he permits the temptation ; and he permits it, 
however mysterious it may sometimes seem, both for 
our good, and for his own glory. And the temptation, 
however threatening it may appear, and from whatever 
source it may come, will not be allowed to go farther 
than he shall see to be connected with those great 
objects. This consideration should have great influence 
with us. It should exclude disquieting thoughts ; it 
should keep us in perfect submission and peace, till the 
day of our visitation be passed. 

(7.) In cases of especial temptation, we are protected 
and saved in an especial manner by the exercise of 
faith. Here, as elsewhere, faith is the great secret of 
our power ; so much so as apparently to be the only 
method of quenching the fiery darts of the adversary. 
The tempted person, if he is in the exercise of grace 
adequate to the occasion, instantaneously offers up the 
prayer of faith. He exclaims, in spirit at least, if not in 
language, " Preserve me, O God, in this hour of need." 
" Spare me and help me in this time of trial." "'Leave 
me not to fall into the hands of my great enemy." He 
not only desires this assistance, which is one element 
of the prayer of faith ; but, what is equally important, 
he believes that God hears ; and that, in accordance 
with many promises, such as "his grace is sufficient for 
us," and that he " will not suffer us to be tempted be- 
yond what we are abb to bear," he is in fact present 



OF A SANCTIFIED HEART. 165 

with him to aid, protect, and bless. This is especially- 
true of the person who has experienced the eminent 
grace of" interior sanctification. Having learned to live 
by faith, which to many is a new and hidden way of 
living, his prayer ascends to the throne of God with 
great rapidity, so that it meets and confronts the tempta- 
tion almost as soon as it is presented to his thoughts. 
And not only this, being the prayer of living faith, it 
is a mighty prayer. It is true, it is exceedingly simple 
in object and in words, being, in this respect, modelled 
upon the Lord's prayer ; but it has power with God j it 
touches the heart of everlasting Love ; and, if we may 
be allowed the expression, it draws down upon his soul 
the shield and covering of a Savior's blood. It is in 
that fountain, in that precious blood, and not in the 
mere deadness and coldness of his affections, that the 
fiery darts of the adversary are quenched. 

(8.) We would remark, again, that the grace, which 
may meet and subdue the temptations of the present 
moment, may not be appropriate and adequate to the 
temptations of any future time. Every day and every 
moment bring their duties and trials, and need their 
appropriate grace. There must, therefore, be constantly 
repeated acts of faith ; and, by means of faith, a constant 
application of the atoning efficacy of the blood of the 
Cross ; both to preserve against the power of existing 
temptation, and also to wash the mind from the impurity 
of its stains, when we have already yielded to it. 

We would observe, finally, that temptations are profit- 
able trials of the religious life, and are particularly cal- 
culated to purify and strengthen our faith. Tjiey are 
grievous for a time, it is true ; but they are calculated to 
6ecure, in the end, the peaceable fruits of righteousness. 
Very few have become strong in faith, who have not 
passed through great trials. It is said of the Savior 
himself, that he "learned obedience by the things which 
he suffered." 



167 



PART SECOND. 



THE LIFE OF FAITH AND LOVE 



FOLLOWED BY THE 



CRUCIFIXION OF THE LIFE OF NATURE. 



169 



CHAPTER FIRST. 



ON THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN JUSTIFICATION AND 
SANCTIFICATION. 

The life of faith and love, when introduced into the 
heart, is not inoperative. Its introduction there is the 
signal for an inward war, because it meets with an an 
tagonistical life, the corrupt life of nature. The twc 
have nothing in common ; and, therefore, they cannot 
be in each other's presence without a conflict. But 
before entering into the particulars of this inward strug- 
gle, which, if the soul becomes truly sanctified, must 
necessarily result in the death of nature, we propose to 
delay a few moments for the purpose of considering the 
relation between Sanctification and Justification. 

Justification and Sanctification, it is generally conce- 
ded, are different from each other ; and yet it is well 
known that they have sometimes been confounded by 
writers who have bestowed some examination upon 
them, as if they were one and the same thing. Nor is 
it altogether surprising that this should be the case, 
when we consider that there is one leading idea which 
is common to both ; we mean, the idea or principle of 
entire submission. In both cases, impressed with a sense 
of our own unworthiness and nothingness, we must be 
sincerely willing, in the spirit of entire submissiveness, 
to receive all from God ; and must receive it also instru- 
mentally in the same way, viz., by faith. Nevertheless, 
there are some important points of distinction in the 
two things, which are inconsistent with their being 
regarded as truly identical. And we may add, it is very 
important, for various reasons, both theological and 
practical, that the distinctior. should be generally under- 
15 



170 ON THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN 

stood and maintained. If the idea should become prev- 
alent, that justification and sanctification are the same 
thing, it would involve the subject of sanctification, and 
perhaps that of justification, in much confusion. It 
would be necessary that new ideas should be established, 
and that new forms of speech should be introduced; 
and one unhappy consequence, among others, would be, 
that some, who are seeking the blessing of holiness, 
would become perplexed and discouraged. 

■ ( 1. ) Among other grounds of distinction between the 
two, it may be remarked that justification, while it 
does not exclude the present, has special reference to 
the past, and does not appear to have that prospective 
bearing which sanctification has. Sanctification, on 
the contrary, starting on the basis of justification, and 
regarding the past as cancelled and settled in the justi- 
ficatory application of the Atonement, has practically 
an exclusive reference to the present and future. Justi- 
fication inquires, How shall the sin which is past be 
forgiven ? Sanctification inquires, How shall we be 
kept from sin in time to come ? Considered, therefore, 
in their relation to time, there is good reason for saying 
that they ought not to be confounded together. 

(2.) Another mark of difference is this: Justifica- 
tion, in its result upon individuals, removes the con- 
demnatory power or guilt of sin ; while sanctification 
removes the power of sin itself. He who is justified 
no longer stands in a state of condemnation, in relation 
to all those past sins from which he is justified ; but he 
that is sanctified, just in proportion that he is so, is 
freed from the influence of that which brings con- 
demnation, viz., sin itself. Or the distinction may be 
concisely expressed in other terms, amounting essentially 
to the same thing, as follows : The object of justifica- 
tion, considered in reference to the law, is to free us 
from condemnation. The object of sanctification, con- 
sidered in reference to the law, is to secure conformity 
to it. 

(3.) Justification and sanctification are distinct, also 






JUSTiFICAlION AND SANCTIFICATION. 171 

when considered in the order in which they present 
themselves, as subjects of thought and interest, to the 
human mind. It is very obvious that, in the first in- 
stance, they present themselves consecutively and sep- 
arately, and not simultaneously and identically. It is 
not the first cry of the sinner, that he may be sanctified, 
but that he may be forgiven. It is his past sins which 
stare him in the face. It is his past sins which must 
be washed away. And until this is done, and at the feet 
of Jesus he has received the remission of his trans- 
gressions, he has no other desire, no other thought. 
But when he has experienced a release from the bitter 
memory of the past, and has felt the rising hope of 
forgiveness, and not till then, is his mind occupied with 
the distinct subject of the reality, the obligation, and 
the blessedness, of a holy heart, in all time to come. 

(4.) There is also a distinction when the matter is 
considered in reference to Christ. Christ is our justifi- 
cation, considered as hanging upon the cross, and en- 
during the penalty of the law for us. In other words, 
Christ is our justification by standing in our stead, and 
receiving in his own person the stripes and chastise- 
ment by which those who have sinned are healed. 
Christ is our sanctification, (that is, the cause or ground 
of our sanctification,) considered as operating and living 
in us by the present and efficacious influences of the 
Holy Spirit, which he has purchased by his blood. In 
both cases, Christ is the ground, or efficacious cause, of 
the result ; and in both cases, also, there is something 
done inwardly as well as outwardly. But it is never- 
theless true that, in justification, the work which is 
done is done in a peculiar sense exteriorly, or for men ; 
while the work of sanctification is done, in an equally 
peculiar and emphatic sense, interiorly, or within them. 

(5.) Another mark of distinction is, that sanctifi- 
cation is regarded, and very properly regarded, as an 
evidence of justification. They have not only the re- 
lation of antecedence and sequence in the order of time, 
but the additional and incidental relation of fact and evi- 



I? 2 ON THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN 

dence. In other words, the sanctification c£ a person 
holds the relation of evidence or proof to the alleged 
fact of his being justified. That there is good founda- 
tion for this view, additional to its innate reasonable- 
ness, seems to be evident from the repeated instructions 
of the Savior, that men are known by their fruits. 
And certainly we may most reasonably expect, that he 
who has been justified will aim to bear the fruits of a 
holy life. Having been instructed by the Holy Spirit 
in the nature and tendencies of sin, and having found 
in the gospel that redemption which he could find no- 
where else, how is it possible that he should again sin 
against God ? Hence it is that he seeks for sanctifying 
grace, and endeavors to purify himself from every form 
of iniquity. And it is a matter of common and agreed 
opinion, that he who is careless, in respect to sanctifi- 
cation, has no satisfactory evidence that he is truly 
justified. 

(6.) In the sixth place, justification, when it has 
taken effect, is a thing which is done or completed ; at 
least, in such a sense as to exclude the idea of its being 
a progressive work. As we have already stated, it looks 
only to the past ; but in its relation to the past it is 
complete. The result of its application, in any given 
case, is, that the multiplied sins which have been com- 
mitted in former times are blotted out. If we sin at 
the present moment, and justification is immediately 
applied, it is still true that the sin, in the order of na- 
ture, and in reference to the time of justification, howev- 
er closely the justification may follow the sinful act, is 
a. past sin. Justification must necessarily be subsequent j 
and consequently, the sin, relatively to the time of justi- 
fication, must necessarily be past, even in those cases in 
which, in common parlance, we speak of the sin as a 
present sin. The work of justification, therefore, when 
it has once taken place, is a thing complete in itself, 
and is not in its own nature susceptible cf progress, 
although it may be necessary to have it repeated in 
every succeeding moment. 



JUSTIFICATION AND SANCTIFICATION. 173 

Sanctification, on the other hand, is a thing which is 
indwelling, permanent, and always progressive. It is not 
only progressive until all the evils of the heart are sub- 
dued ; but even when it is in some degree complete, — 
so much so as to occupy the whole extent of our being, 
and to substitute in the heart every where good for evil, 
— it is still progressive in degree. So that, in those 
cases where we speak of sanctification as entire, it is still 
true that its entireness is not such as to exclude progress. 
There will never be a period, either in time or eternity, 
when there may not be an increase of holy love. 

(7.) The distinction is evidently made in the Scrip- 
tures. The passages of Scripture where it is clearly recog- 
nized are so numerous, and so familiar to attentive readers 
of the Bible, that it seems to be hardly necessary to quote 
them at any great length. " And the very God of peace," 
says the apostle, 1 Thess. v. 23, " sanctify you wholly ; 
and I pray God your whole spirit, and soul, and body, be 
preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus 
Christ." And again, 2 Cor. vii. 1: " Having, therefore, 
these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves 
from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holi- 
ness in the fear of God." It is very evident, from the gen- 
eral tenor of the apostle's communications to them, that 
these exhortations were addressed to those whom he 
regarded, and had reason to regard, as justified persons. 
He felt, nevertheless, although they were justified, — 
although their past sins were blotted out, — that there was 
much remaining to be done in the matter of their present 
and prospective sanctification. Hence his exhortations to 
preserve their bodies blameless, to cleanse themselves, and 
to perfect holiness in the fear of God ; which would have 
been unnecessary, if he had considered the work of sanc- 
tification as absolutely and necessarily involved in that of 
justification. There are, also, a number of passages, dif- 
ferent in their import from those which have been par- 
ticularly referred to, which seem to involve the distinc- 
tion in question ; those, in which persons are spoken of 
as disciples or believers, but without having received thp 
15* 



174 ON THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN 

gift of the Holy Ghost — such as John vii. 39 ; Acts 
viii. 15 — 17 ; Acts xix. 1, 2. 

The distinction which is made, in the Scriptures, 
between the two, is regarded so obvious and incontro- 
vertible by most writers, that it has naturally passed, as 
an established truth, into treatises on theology. It is 
also recognized almost constantly in sermons, and in 
religious exhortations and conversation. There is, per- 
haps, as much unanimity among religious men on this 
subject as on almost any subject of theological inquiry. 
And the attempt to confound justification and sanctifi- 
cation together, which has been made from time to time, 
would necessarily tend, if it were successful, to perplex 
and confuse the established forms of speech among men, 
as well as the authorized and scriptural modes of re- 
ligious thought. 

We remark, in conclusion, that although these two 
states of religious experience are distinct from each other, 
they nevertheless may be regarded as having something 
in common, which establishes an intimate relationship 
between them. This fact has already been alluded to. 
In both cases, in sanctification as well as in justification, 
we ultimately receive every thing from Christ. And we 
are obliged, also, in both cases, to receive it in that meek 
and submissive spirit which recognizes our own unwor- 
thiness and nothingness. Every thing is received, also, 
through the same channel, viz., by faith. We may say, 
further, that there can be no such thing as sanctification 
without antecedent justification. The latter may be 
considered as the commencement, or first coming, of that 
hidden life in the soul, which is completed in the former. 
We are not to suppose, however, because there are some 
things common to justification and sanctification, and 
because they are in some respects closely related, that 
they are, therefore, the same thing. This would be a 
very unsafe mode of argument. There are some things 
common to memor/ and reasoning, and yet memory and 
reasoning are distinct. There are some things common 
to reasoning and imagination, and yet there can be no 



JUSTIFICATION AND SANCTIFICATION. 175 

doubt that they are very distinct department* of the 
mind. There is a close connection between liberty and 
power ; for instance, where there is no power there can 
be no liberty; yet they ought not to be confounded 
together. There are some things common to faith and 
love, or which connect them together in some way, 
(such as that they are both the gift of God, and that 
faith acts by love,) and yet all agree that they cannot be 
considered as identical ; and thus justification and sanc- 
tification, although they are closely connected, are never- 
theless two things, and the distinction between them is 
a very important one. 

Let us, therefore, who humbly hope that we are justi- 
fied by the blood of Christ, seek also to be sanctified. 
Let it not be sufficient for us that our sins have been 
forgiven ; but let us strive to gain the victory over sin, 
and to exclude it from the heart in all future time. Well 
may we exclaim, in the gratitude of our hearts, Praise be 
for that grace which sanctifies, as well as for that which 
justifies ; for that which keeps the heart clean in time to 
come, as well as for that which washes away the stains 
of the past ! It is holiness which adds its highest value 
and its transcendent beauty, to forgiveness. 



" O for a heart to praise my God ; 

A heart from sin set free ; 
A heart that always feels thy blood, 

So freely spilt for me ; — 

" A heart in every thought renewed, 

And full of love divine ; 
Perfect and right, and pure and good ; 

A copy, Lord, of thine ! ' 



176 



CHAPTER SECOND. 



REMARKS ON UNRESTRAINED AND INORDINATE 
DESIRES. 



If it is our purpose to devote ourselves to the Lord 
without reserve, it is important that we should look seri- 
ously and closely into the nature and degree of our 
Desires. It is true, desires are an essential part of our 
nature. As natural principles, such as the desire of life, 
the desire of food, the desire of knowledge, the desire of 
society, they have their place, their laws, their uses. 
But the difficulty is, that in the natural man, and also 
in the partially sanctified man, they are not adequately 
superintended and controlled by the principle of divine 
love. They multiply themselves beyond due limits : 
they are often self-interested, inordinate, and evil ; so 
much so as sometimes to bring the whole man into sub- 
jection. Desires thus inordinate and selfish, which are 
characterized, among other things, by the fatal trait of 
inward agitation and restlessness, cannot be too much 
guarded against. 

In support of the remark which has just been made 
we proceed to observe, in the first place, that unrestrained 
desires always imply guilt. The man whose desires 
are unrestrained, is a man that chooses to have his own 
way; lives his own life ; operates upon his own stock ; 
and, in a word, claims to be a god in his own right. It 
is obvious that, under a divine government, there can be 
no virtue without subordination. The moment, there- 
fore, that the desire, which is inherent in any creature, 
gets the ascendency, and violates the law of obedience to 
the Supreme Ruler, that moment he is no longer the 
same being ; but has undergone a change, as fatal as i< 



REMARKS ON INORDINATE DESIRES. 177 

is sudden, from truth to falsehood, and from honor to 
guilt. How important is it, then, that the natural desires 
should be checked and subdued; and that they should 
be subdued to that point where they shall be practically 
lost in the one preeminent and gracious desire of know- 
ing and doing the will of God ! 

(2.) We should guard against irregular desires, not 
only because they imply guilt, but because they tend to 
render one miserable. The laws of the mind are such, 
that irregular and inordinate desires can never be fully 
and permanently gratified. If they meet with a present 
gratification, they always lay the foundation for their 
own reexistence, in the shape of subsequent and still 
stronger desires, which will fail of being gratified. A 
mind which is under the dominion of such urgent but 
ungratified desires, can never be at rest — can never be 
happy. It is inwardly goaded onward, without the pos- 
sibility of consolation and peace. 

And it is in this manner that Satan, impelled by 
desires which aim at supreme dominion, without the 
possibility of ever being satisfied, is consumed inwardly 
and forever by a flame that can never be extinguished. 
This, it is true, is not the only source of his misery ; 
but it is a principal one. Desires, therefore, conform, 
in this respect, to the universal law — viz., that guilt 
always brings misery. Have we not, then, sufficient rea- 
son for saying, that all irregular and inordinate desires 
should be especially guarded against ? 

(3.) We remark, again, that all irregular and un- 
sanctified desires stand directly in the way of the opera- 
tions of the Spirit of God upon the soul ; the obstacle 
they present being in proportion to the strength of the 
desire. God, in the person of the Holy Ghost, would 
immediately set up his dominion in all hearts, were it 
not for the obstacle presented by desires. God loves 
his creatures ; and he wants nothing of us but that we 
should remove the obstacles which shut him out of our 
hearts. It is self-evident that desires and purposes of 
our own, in distinction from God's desires and purposes. 



178 REMARKS ON INORDINATE DESIRES. 

— inasmuch as they are not in the position of obedience, 
and are not in the line of God's inward movements, — 
are incompatible with his dominion in the soul. 

If, therefore, we would be without guilt and misery, 

— if we would enjoy renovation and liberty of spirit, 
and would have God enthroned in our hearts, as our 
king and sovereign, — we must cease from desires ; that 
is to say, we must cease from natural or unsanctified 
desires. We must desire nothing, on the one hand, out 
of the will of God ; and must refuse nothing, on the 
other, that happens to us in conformity to his will. And 
it is thus, and thus only, that God can become to us an 
indwelling and paramount principle of life and action— 
our All in Ail. 



179 



CHAPTER THIRD. 

ON THE PROPER REGULATION OF THE APPETITES. 



In connection with the views which have been pre- 
sented in the preceding chapter, it is to be remembered, 
that the leading Appetites and Propensities, in their spe- 
cific forms, are but so many modifications of desire ; and 
if it is acknowledged to be important that the desires 
should be properly regulated, it is equally important that 
the specific appetites and propensities, into which desire, 
under the appropriate circumstances, modifies itself, 
should be subjected to a similar regulation. And the 
same general remark will apply to the Affections also, as 
well as to the appetites and the propensive principles ; 
inasmuch as the affections are known to be characterized 
by desire, as an essential and leading element, and are 
susceptible of an inordinate action. 

(1.) In the few observations which we propose tc 
make on the subject of the appetites, at the present time, 
our first remark is this : The appetites are good in theii 
appropriate place ; but when they are not properly regu- 
lated, by being restricted to their appropriate occasions 
and objects, they are the source of great evil. I believe 
it is generally admitted, that the undue indulgence of 
the appetites — the " lower passions," as they are some- 
times denominated — is the true source of inward im- 
purity ; a state of mind which, it is to be feared, most 
persons know by melancholy experience better than it 
can be illustrated by any description. Men speak of the 
appetites in terms wmich obviously indicate their con- 
victions on this subject. They speak of them, whenever 
they operate out of their appropriate sphere and degree, as 



180 ON THE PROPER REGULATION 

low , degrading, and polluting ; and compare those, who 
thus indulge in them, to the swine that wallow in the 
mire. 

There is also something in one's consciousness which 
supports this view. When the appetites are entirely 
subdued, and kept in their place, the subject of them — 
at least so far as the appetites are concerned — feels that 
he is pure in heart. But when it is otherwise, there is 
a sense, not only of guilt, but of degradation ; there is 
an inward consciousness of what may be termed, meta- 
phorically, a stain or blot upon the mind. The soul 
feels itself, in the experience of its own state, to be very 
different from what it is at other times. The holy soul 
may be likened to a mirror, into which God may look, 
and behold the features of his own character reflected. 
But when it yields itself to the undue influence of the 
appetites, the mirror becomes stained and darkened, and 
God is no longer seen in it. 

(2.) In accordance with these views, a person may 
become impure — as, in point of fact, many do become 
impure — by the inordinate indulgence of the appetite 
for food and drink. The Savior ate and drank without 
prejudice to his holiness, because he did so in fulfilment 
of the laws of nature. The truly devoted followers ot 
the Savior will endeavor to imitate his example in this 
respect. " I felt no disposition," says the pious Brainerd, 
'• to eat and drink for the sake of the pleasure of it ; but 
only to support my nature, and to fit me for divine ser- 
vice." It may perhaps be properly added, that even 
heathenism, which thus utters a voice to teach and re- 
prove an imperfect Chiistianity, can furnish us a lesson 
on this subject. It is said of Hannibal, the celebrated 
Carthaginian commander, that, in the use of food and 
drink, he consulted merely the real wants of the physical 
system, without any regard to the suggestions of sen- 
sual pleasure. In the language of the Roman historian, 
" Cibi potionisque desiderio naturally non voluptate, mo- 
dus finitus" This fact, among other striking traits o 
character, is obviously mentioned as a ground of com 



OF THE APPETITES. 181 

mendation by the historian, who, heathen as he was, 
as well as the celebrated subject of his remarks, seems 
to have had a clear perception of the intentions of nature. 

Happy would it be, if such views and practices more 
generally prevailed. But it is a painful truth that mul- 
titudes of persons, and some even of those who claim 
to be the Savior's followers, pollute themselves by ta- 
king food, not for the sake of the food, and in the fulfil- 
ment of the intentions of nature, but for the sake of the 
pleasure which it gives — making the pleasure the ulti- 
mate, and oftentimes the sole object. In other words, 
they eat and drink for their lust's sake. They do not 
eat and drink because it is necessary to support nature, — 
an important object, which, when properly kept in view, 
has a tendency to limit the quality and quantity of the 
articles taken, — but in order that they may gratify their 
selfish propensities. Such are the persons that are 
properly denominated impure ; and they feel themselves 
to be so. The superabundance of the flesh, nourished 
by meats and drinks stimulating in their nature, and 
inordinate in quantity, seems to spread a coat of its dark 
and unseemly accretion over the mind itself. The 
amount of impurity which results from this source is 
immense, and will abundantly account for the lamenta- 
tions of many persons .over their spiritual leanness. 

(3.) One of the principles, coming under the denom- 
ination of the appetites, is that which results from the 
relation of the sexes. A serious mind — certainly one 
that is disposed to recognize the benevolent hand of God 
in all his works — will not be inclined to speak in terms 
of disparagement of this appetite, which, in an important 
sense, is the foundation of the family state. But sin, 
which has spread its poison every where, has converted 
that which was designed for good, and nothing but 
good, into a source of evil. Every desire, founded upon 
the relation of the sexes, which is not in accordance 
with the providence and the will of God, leaves a stain 
upon the mind's purity, and is at war with holiness. 
But it is necessary merely to allude to the dangers from 
16 



[82 REGULATION OF THE APPETITES. 

this source. The holy mind, which appreciates the im- 
portance of watchfulness in every direction, will not 
be inattentive to the perplexities and hazards which 
exist here, A single emotion, at variance with entire 
purity of heart, is inconsistent, so long as it exists, with 
communion with God, and with his favor. 

(4.) We leave this subject with one or two observa- 
tions more. In connection with what has been re- 
marked, we are naturally led to urge upon all persons, 
who wish to live a life of true holiness, the great impor- 
tance of living in such a manner, in the exercise and 
indulgence of the appetites, as to fulfil, and nothing 
more than fulfil, the intentions of nature ; or rather the 
intentions of the wise and benevolent Author of nature. 
The life of God in the soul has a much closer connec- 
tion with modes of living than is generally supposed. 
If Christians, instead of indulging and pampering the 
appetite for meats and drinks, would be satisfied with 
simple nourishment, and with that small quantity which 
is adequate to all the purposes of nature, what abundant 
blessings would infallibly result both to body and mind ! 
Many dark hours, which are now the subject of sad 
complaints, on the part of professed Christians, would 
be exchanged for bright ones. God would then reveal 
his face of affectionate love, which it is impossible for 
him to do to those who enslave themselves in this man- 
ner. And in relation to any other principles, which 
properly come under the head of the appetites, — ben- 
eficial and important as they undoubtedly are in their 
place, — if they could be restrained to the purposes and 
the limits which their Author has assigned, it would 
certainly make a vast difference in the relative amount 
of sin and holiness, of suffering and happiness, in the 
world 

Christian, think of these things ! Ye who seek the 
experience, the indispensable and blessed experience, of 
holiness of heart, earnestly make them the subject of 
reflection and prayer. " Blessed are the pure in heart, 
for they shall see God." " Whether ye eat or drink, or 
whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." 



183 



CHAPTER FOURTH. 

l>3 THE NATURE AND REGULATION OF THE PROPEN 
S1VE PRINCIPLES. 

There is another class of principles, which may be 
considered, for a number of reasons, as coming under the 
general head of desires ; but which are obviously differ- 
ent, in some respects, from that modification of desire 
which bears the name of the appetites. These princi- 
ples, which, in order to distinguish them from the appe- 
tites, are denominated the Propensities or Propensive 
Principles, seem to be less dependent for their existence 
and exercise upon the condition of the physical system 
than the appetites are. Removed, in some degree, from 
the outward senses, which are the basis of the action of 
the appetites, they obviously sustain a closer affinity to 
the higher and more important principles of our nature : 
and accordingly, in the general estimation which is at- 
tached to the different parts of our mental constitution, 
they are regarded as holding a higher rank. Some of 
the principles which come under this general head (for 
it is not necessary to enumerate them all, and still less 
necessary to go into a particular examination of them) 
are the principle of self-preservation or the desire of con- 
tinued existence, curiosity or the desire of knowledge, 
sociality or the desire of society, self-love or the desire of 
happiness, the desire of esteem, and some others. 

Religion can never be regarded as having taken up 
its abode in the heart, and as having become a permanent 
and paramount element of our inward being, without 
reaching these principles, and without checking their in- 
ordinate tendencies, and bringing them back to the origi- 



184 ON THE NATURE AND REGULATION 

rial measurement of a subordinate and holy action J* 
is certainly not too much to say, that we are accounta- 
ble to God, strictly and fully accountable, for the exer- 
cise of the social feelings, for the exercise of the princi- 
ple of curiosity or the desire of knowledge, and of other 
propensive principles, as well as for the indulgence of the 
appetites, or the exercise of any other inward act or 
tendency of which we are susceptible. And accordingly, 
it cannot properly be said, in the full sense of the terms, 
that we live in Christ, or that "Christ liveth in us," 
while any of these principles retain an unsanctified influ- 
ence. They do not require to be destroyed ; but it is 
obvious that they must be made holy. 

It will be perceived, that these views are not entirely 
accordant with the sentiments which have sometimes 
been entertained by individuals, and even by large bod- 
ies of Christians. Many pious persons, at different peri- 
ods in the history of the church, have maintained, that 
the various propensities and affections should not merely 
be crucified in the true Scripture sense, viz., by being 
reduced from an irregular to a subordinate and holy ac- 
tion, but should be exterminated. In accordance with 
this opinion, obviously erroneous as it is, many persons 
of both sexes, some of them distinguished for their learn- 
ing and their rank in life, have avoided, by a permanent 
principle of action, every thing that could please the 
appetites or gratify the demands of our social nature. 
Influenced by mistaken notions of what Christianity 
really requires, they have literally made their abode in 
the dens and caves of the earth ; and may be said, with 
too much foundation in fact, to have rejected the society 
of man for the companionship of wild beasts. Ecclesi- 
astical history is interspersed with instances of this kind, 
from the days of the anchorets, who macerated their bod- 
ies and uttered their solitary prayers in the deserts oi 
Egypt, down to the present time. It is related, for in- 
stance, of Catherine of Cardonne, a pious Spanish lady 
of the 16th century, moving in the first ranks of society, 
and well accomplished in the endowments of intellect 






OF THE PROPENSIVE PRINCIPLES. 1S5 

and education, that she retired to a solitary cavern in a 
remote mountainous region, and spent many years in the 
strictest seclusion, with no adequate clothing, and with 
no food but what the uncultivated earth afforded. No 
one can read the story of the extreme privations to which 
she subjected herself for the purpose of a more intimate 
communion with God, without a mixed emotion of re- 
gret for the errors of her judgment, and of profound re- 
spect for the self-sacrificing piety of her heart.* There 
have been many instances of this kind. 

There is some reason to think that many of the class 
of persons, to whom we have reference in these remarks, 
placed more reliance on works than on faith. This was 
a great error, though a candid consideration of their lives 
will probably justify us in regarding it as an uninten- 
tional one. The mighty efficacy of faith, in its relation 
to the renovation of the human mind, seems not to have 
been well understood by them. And being left destitute, 
in a considerable degree, of the aids and consolations 
which so abundantly flow from that source, they pressed 
the principle of consecration, which, independently of 
faith, becomes the imperfect and unsatisfactory principle 
of mere works, to its extreme limits. They deprived 
themselves of the necessary sleep ; wore garments that 
inflicted constant suffering ; mingled ashes with their 
bread; and submitted to other acts and observances of a 
penitential nature, either to render themselves, in their 
present characters, more acceptable to God, or to propi- 
tiate the divine mercy for the commission of past sins. 

With feelings of entire sympathy with the sincerity 
which has characterized the conduct of many humble 
and suffering recluses, we still feel bound to say, that we 
do not understand the Scriptures as requiring the cruci- 
fixion of the appetites and propensities to be carried to 
this extent. The Scriptures require us to become Chris- 
tians ; but they do not require us to cease to be men. 

* See an account of this person in the life of St. Theresa by Ville- 
fort» (La Vie de St. Thcrbscpar M. de Villcfore, torn ii. liv. 5.) 
.1(7* 



186 OF THE PROPENSIVE PRINCIPLES. 

They require us to put off the " old man," which is 
fictitious, a perversion of good, and a "liar from the be- 
ginning ; " but they do not, and could not, require us to 
put off the " new man," which is the same, if not phys- 
ically and intellectually, yet in all the attributes of the 
heart, with the primitive or holy man, the man as he ex- 
isted in Adam before his fall, and as he became reexist- 
ent in the stainless Savior. But Christ, who is set be- 
fore us as our example, ate and drank without sin; he 
recognized and discharged the duty of social intercourse 
without sin ; and he performed the various other duties, 
which are appropriate to human nature, in equal freedom 
from any thing that is wrong and unholy. 

And we may make a single remark here, which may 
tend to relieve the minds of some in relation to this sub- 
ject, viz., that it is a more difficult thing, and requires 
more reflection and more religious principle, to regulate 
the appetites and propensities, than it does to destroy 
f .hem. And while the work of a holy regulation is to be 
legarded as a more difficult work than that of destruc- 
tion, we may add, that it is undoubtedly more acceptable 
to God ; although it is probably less calculated to attract 
notice and to secure celebrity. God expects us to do 
what he requires us to do ; and to attempt to do more, 
or do otherwise, than he requires, can result only from a 
mistaken judgment or from perverse i itentions. 



187 



CHAPTER FIFTH. 



ON THE REGULATION OF THE PRINCIPLE OF 
SELF-LOVE. 

One of those implanted principles, which come undei 
the denomination of propensities, is the principle of Self- 
Love, or the desire of our own happiness. We do not pro- 
pose to remark upon all the propensities ; but the prin- 
ciple of self-love, which is so liable to a perverted and 
selfish action as sometimes to be regarded as a perverted 
and evil principle in its own nature, seems to require 
some notice. 

First. We remark, in the first place, that it is gen- 
erally conceded, both by theologians and mental philos- 
ophers, that a principle of self-love, or a desire of personal 
happiness, is implanted in man. As an implanted or con- 
natural principle, it cannot, in its subordinated and legit- 
imate exercise, be otherwise than right. In other words, 
when, in the pursuit of our own happiness, we have a 
suitable regard to the claims of all other beings, espe- 
cially the Supreme Being, we cannot be otherwise than 
approved and guiltless in the view of conscience and of 
our Maker. 

The command, that we should love our neighbor as 
ourselves, evidently implies that the love of ourselves, in 
the sense of seeking our own happiness so far as is con- 
sistent with the happiness and rights of others, is admis- 
sible. Hence men are properly directed and encouraged 
to seek their own happiness. It is proper even to direct 
and encourage them to seek religion for the sake (not 
for the exclusive sake, but still for the sake) of their 
own happiness. In seeking religion, — in other words, in 
seeking the restoration of the mind to God, — there can 



188 ON THE REGULATION OF THE 

be no doubt that one legitimate motive may be the desire 
of our own highest good. It is certain that this is one 
of the motives calculated ultimately to lead men in a re- 
ligious course, which is not unfrequently addressed to 
them in the Holy Scriptures. " There is not," says Dr. 
Wardlaw, "any part of the Divine Word, by which we 
are required, in any circumstances, to divest ourselves of 
this essential principle in our constitution. That Word, 
on the contrary, is full of appeals to it, under every di- 
versity of form. Such are all its threatenings, all its 
promises, all its invitations." 

Second. But whatever love we may be permitted to 
exercise for ourselves or our fellow-men, the obligation 
still remains of loving God, as the Scripture expresses it, 
with " all our soul, and heart, and mind, and strength. " 
It seems to be generally agreed, that nothing short of the 
power of our whole being will satisfy the obligations and 
claims of divine love. And here it becomes necessary 
to consider briefly the relation which self-love, or the de- 
sire of our own happiness, sustains to the desire of God's 
glory, and the consistency of the one with the other. 
This is a topic of no small importance ; and perhaps it 
may be added, that it can hardly be supposed to be ea- 
sily understood without the aid of some degree of per- 
sonal experience. 

The doctrine on this subject, which seems to us to be 
a correct one, is this : The desire of our personal happi- 
ness, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, may take a 
religious direction, and may operate beneficially. But it 
will always be found true, in point of fact, that, as we 
advance in religious experience, the desire of our own 
happiness will gradually diminish, and will finally be- 
come evanescent and practically extinct, under the con- 
tinually increasing influence of the desire of God's 
glory. 

To state it more particularly and definitely, the process 
seems to be this : When we first begin the search after 
God, we are influenced, in a considerable degree, by the 
consideration of personal happiness. This is a move. 






PRINCIPLE OF SELF-LOVE. 189 

ment which is in accordance with the principles of our 
mental constitution, and, though exceedingly inferior in 
kind to that which subsequently takes place, is not in it- 
self wrong. But as God, in condescension to our poor 
and imperfect manner of seeking him, gradually unveils 
his nature, we begin to love him and seek him for him- 
self. And as the divine glory from time to time reveals 
itself more and more, so in that proportion does the ex- 
ternal or objective motive, viz., that of the divine glory, 
expand itself, and, approaching inwardly, begin to occupy 
the whole mind ; while the internal or subjective mo- 
tive, viz., that of our personal happiness, contracts and 
recedes. In other words, just in proportion as there is an 
entrance of God into the soul, there is a retrocession of 
self — using the term self in a subordinate and good 
sense. There is thus a loss of the one, and a realization 
of the other ; or perhaps we may say, a gradual transi- 
tion of the human into the divine. The principle under 
consideration, therefore, is not condemned; but may 
rather be said to have fallen into desuetude. It is not 
rejected as criminal ; but has become practically extinct, 
on the ground of having fulfilled its destiny. The 
higher motive of God's glory has absorbed the less. So 
that when a person, in the progress of inward growth, 
arrives at the position of a complete or perfected love, 
(which is the true position at which every Christian 
should aim, and is the true place of the soul's permanent 
rest,) the soul knows its happiness no more but as merged 
m the divine happiness ; it knows its will no more 
but as encircled and lost in the divine will ; and it may 
even be said, in a mitigated sense of the terms, to know 
itself no more but as existent in God. " God is love. 
And he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and 
God in him." 

Third. But there is another view of the principle of 
self-love, or the natural desire of happiness, which re- 
quires our attention. We refer to that inordinate and 
unsanctified modification of it, which, in order to dis- 
tinguish it from a properly regulated and sanctified 



190 ON THE REGULATION OF THE 

action, is denominated selfishness. Whatever may be 
true of the properly regulated desire, it is certain that 
selfishness is morally wrong, and can never be otherwise 
than wrong. In a certain sense, I think we may truly say, 
that we find the root and centre of all moral evil in selfish- 
ness ; meaning by the term here the inordinate action of 
the principle of self-love. It is true that other principles 
of our nature are susceptible of an inordinate action, and 
that such obliquity of action always implies guilt. But 
there seems to be ground for saying, that the inordinate 
action of other principles results from the inordinate ac- 
tion of the principle of self-love. From this strong root 
of evil, an influence goes out, which is not more virulent 
than it is pervasive ; and which, by a secret insinuation 
of itself in every direction, at length reaches and poisons 
every part of* the mind. Examine, for instance, the so- 
cial propensity, (which is a principle good in itself,) and 
we shall find that, stimulated by a secret influence from 
the pernicious root of selfishness, it will often become 
inordinate and evil. The same may be said of the prin- 
ciple of curiosity — a principle entirely innocent in 
itself, and very important ; but which, when unre- 
strained by sentiments of right and duty, becomes di- 
vergent and capricious in its applications, and insatiable 
in strength. I think we may reasonably assert that 
every active principle of our nature — even those which 
are embraced under the head of the benevolent and do- 
mestic affections, and which are so amiable and beautiful 
when free from contamination — is liable to be per- 
versely affected by an evil influence going out from this 
source. 

Fourth. In connection with this subject, we are 
enabled to obtain a more precise idea, than we might 
otherwise possess, of what is frequently and conve- 
niently denominated the life of nature. The life ot 
nature is no other than the life of the soul, deformed, 
perverted, and poisoned, in all its extent, in its fountain 
and its streams, in its root and its branches, by an influ- 
ence disseminated from the inordinate action of thn 



PRINCIPLE OF SELF-LOVE. 191 

principle of self-love ; and it is easy to see, as implied 
in this statement, that the love of God, which is the 
true corrective of this contracted and pernicious influ- 
ence, is banished and shut out from the mind that is 
under its unholy power. It is not possible that the love 
of God should dwell in a heart where self-love is su- 
preme ; so that the life of nature is not only the life ol 
self, but it is a life, which, in being filled with self, is 
necessarily destitute of God ; and which, in seeking 
nothing but its own ends, overlooks all other claims. 
and despises that true happiness and true glory which 
are found in God alone. With a life originating in a 
root so evil, and bearing fruit so baleful, — a life which 
deliberately chooses human weakness and error for its 
basis, instead of the divine strength and wisdom, — it is 
certain that a holy soul can have no kindred spirit of 
feeling, and no union of effort. On the contrary, it is 
the part of holiness, as an active and indwelling princi- 
ple in the heart, to meet it, to search it out, contend 
with it, destroy it. This is the great practical warfare. 
Having been freely justified and forgiven in the blood ot 
Christ, Christians can do no less than clothe themselves 
for this battle ; and contend, step by step, and, with di- 
vine assistance, slay, to its very root, a life so polluted in 
its origin and its results, in order that they may receive, 
enjoy, and perfect, the life of God. 



192 



CHAPTER SIXTH 



ON THE NATURE AND REGULATION OF THE SOCIAL 
PRINCIPLE. 

Another of the propensive principles is sociality, or 
the desire of society. It is not necessary to enter into 
an argument to show that men naturally (that is to say, 
independently of the influences of education and con- 
siderations of interest) have a desire of the company or 
society of their fellow-men. Of the various doctrines 
embraced in the philosophy of the human mind, there is 
scarcely any one which is more satisfactorily established 
than this. 

First. Our first remark, under this general head, is 
that, among the duties which man owes to his fellow- 
men, one of the most clearly ascertained and important 
is that of social intercourse. The duty is so clear and 
imperative, whether we consult in its support the consti- 
tution of the human mind, or what is said on the subject 
in the Scriptures, that no one can plead an exemption 
from it, except on the ground that the providences of 
God, and other special indications, render his case very 
different from that of others. A man, for instance, may 
be so physically disordered, that society is a burden, and 
solitude his only place of refuge. And this state of 
things may be combined with other providential indica- 
tions, so marked in their character, that he may be justi- 
fied in coming to the conclusion, that his great business, 
and essentially his only business here on earth, is that of 
solitary communion with God. 

" Remote from men, with God he passed his days, 
Prayer all his business, all his pleasure praise." 



UE THE SOCIAL, PRINCIPLE. 193 

Perhaps other situations, and other providential indi- 
cations, may lead to the same result. John the Baptist 
was the "voice of one crying in the wilderness." 
There is reason to suppose, that the special providence 
of God called him, in a greater degree than others, to 
dwell in solitary places, apart from the society of men ; 
and we probably risk nothing in saying, that the same 
unerring providence, operating upon a sanctified spirit, 
dictated the course of Anna, the aged prophetess of the 
city of Jerusalem, " who departed not from the temple, 
but served God with fastings and prayers, night and day." 

But these are exempt cases, which can be judged of 
only by special outward circumstances and special in- 
ward operations ; and which, therefore, are to be re- 
garded rather as exceptions to the general rule than as 
the rule itself. We cannot hesitate, therefore, in saying, 
that the duty of social intercourse is obvious and im- 
perative. The man who violates his duty in this re- 
spect by shunning, without any adequate reason, the 
society of his fellow-men, not only deprives himself of 
the power of extensive usefulness, but he suffers under 
the operation of what may be called a natural penalty, 
in his own person, character, and interests. Persons 
who place themselves in this situation, without a special 
divine guidance, are self-punished. The mind, sepa- 
rated from the bonds which link it to others, and falling 
back upon itself, as both centre and circumference, be- 
comes contracted in the range of its action, and selfish 
in its tendencies. The light of knowledge is, in many 
respects, shut out ; and even the physical, as well as the 
moral and intellectual system, feels the adverse influ- 
ences of a course which is opposed to the intentions of 
nature. Association, therefore, may be regarded as a 
necessary law to us. God has so linked us, man with 
man. and family with family, and community with com- 
munity, that the life of one may be said to be multi- 
plied in that of another; and no man, with the excep- 
tion of the peculiar cases already indicated, can safely 
and usefully stand and act alone. 
17 



94 ON THE NATURE AND REGULATION 

Second. The social principle, like others, may be- 
come inordinate in its action. In the natural life, in 
distinction from the regenerated or sanctified life, every 
thing runs to excess, in consequence of the prevalence 
of selfishness, and the absence of the love of God ; and 
thus the social principle, implanted originally for a good 
end, may become, as in point of fact it often does be- 
come, more or less excessive and vicious in its operation. 
In what way, then, shall the discharge of the duty of 
social intercourse be regulated, so that the divine blessing 
may rest upon it ? In reply to this question, it may be 
admitted, that it is neither easy nor safe to lay down 
specific rules applicable in all cases. It is obvious that 
what would be right and proper under some circum- 
stances, would be inexcusable under others. It is per- 
haps best, therefore, that the conduct of each individual 
should be left to be regulated by the decisions of a sound 
and consecrated discretion, made in view of the circum 
stances of each occasion as it arises. 

In all ordinary cases, however, it may be safely said, 
that some portion of each day, and especially a portion at 
tho commencement of the day, should be devoted to 
solitary communion with God. The soul needs the re- 
sources and refreshment of such seasons of sacred retire- 
ment, in order to put itself into a situation to meet those 
trials of its faith and patience which are incidental even 
to social intercourse. Nor is this all. We should also 
have seasons of special religious recollection while we 
are acting in and with society, in which we may turn 
our thoughts inward and upward ; to the state of our 
own hearts, on the one hand, and to God, as the true 
source of wisdom and support, on the other. Many 
pious persons have found this practice very important to 
them. It is said of Penelon, in connection with the 
numerous claims of society upon him, — claims which 
he promptly met, with admirable condescension and 
wisdom, — that he nourished the inward divine life, 
even in the midst of such multiplied interruptions, by 
praying "in the deep retirement of internal solitude M 



OF THE SOCIAL PRINCIPLE. J 96 

Third. The desire of society is natural ; and the 
pleasure which results from it, when its object is se- 
cured, is oftentimes very great. But acting on religious 
principles, and with a view to God's glory, it is obvious 
that we must mingle in society, not only to enjoy hap- 
piness, but to do good, and even to suffer. 

If one motive with the holy person, in mingling with 
society, is to do good, we shall beware how we yield to 
our own choice. The life of nature would lead us to 
seek the company of the well-informed, the wealthy, 
and the honorable j but the life of God in the soul, in 
connection with the safe rule of his blessed providences, 
and in imitation of the Savior's example, will lead us 
among the poor and sick, the degraded and the sinful. 
But this is not all. We are not only called to do good 
in this way, but are sometimes called, as already inti- 
mated, even to endure and to suffer. 

When we mingle in society, we mingle with men , 
men who are beset with many and trying infirmities, 
and who often show their weaknesses and errors, saying 
nothing of positive transgressions, both in manner and in 
language. As those who seek to be wholly the Lord's, 
we are bound to endure the troubles which result from 
this source with entire meekness and patience. Not to 
bear meekly and patiently with those imperfections of 
others, sometimes greater and sometimes less, which 
we must always expect to encounter when we associate 
with them, would be a sad evidence of our own imper- 
fection. 

We are sometimes severely tried, even when we are 
in the company of truly devout and holy persons. Such 
persons may at times entertain peculiar views, with 
which we cannot fully sympathize ; and may occasion- 
ally exhibit, notwithstanding the purity and love of 
their hearts, imperfections of judgment and of outward 
manner which are exceedingly trying. These also are 
to be patiently and kindly borne with. 

Fourth. One thing more remains to be said, as to the 
manner of intercourse. It is obvious that the claims of 



196 OF THE SOCIAL PRINCIPLE. 

society can never be allowed to go so far as to interfere 
with and prejudice the claims of religion at the very- 
time of social intercourse. In other words, we should 
always so conduct, when we mingle socially with our 
fellow-men, that we may be known as religious persons, 
not merely by special acts of religion, but in our general 
manner. And it seems to us, that this desirable result 
may be secured, in consistency with a suitable regard to 
modesty of deportment. Men generally possess a prompt 
and almost instinctive power of interpretation on the 
subject of moral and religious character. If we truly 
possess religion, they will see it and know it. There 
is a calmness and propriety of manners, on the part of 
truly holy persons ; a placidity of countenance ; a free- 
dom from exaggeration and over-urgency ; a modesty, 
and a sincere good- will to others, whatever maybe their 
characters ; a conscientious regard for truth and justice ; 
a forbearance under ill-treatment and injury ; a serious- 
ness, which is the opposite of foolish talking and jest- 
ing ; an interest in whatever has relation to the claims 
of virtue and religion — which, taken together, and aided 
perhaps by other indications not less favorable, furnish 
significant data to those who behold them ; and which 
cannot fail to stamp the character as religious, without 
the formality of a specific declaration. 






197 



CHAPTER SEVENTH. 

ON THE NATURE AND REGILATION OF THE PRINCI 
PLE OF CURIOSITY. 

The principle of Curiosity, like the other propensities 
which have been mentioned, is an original principle of 
our mental constitution. It is implanted there in the 
wisdom and goodness of the great Being who constitu- 
ted the mind, and may justly be regarded as an appro- 
priate and essential attribute of every rational nature. It 
is hardly necessary to say, that this principle is given to 
be employed. It is altogether desirable and proper that 
men should inquire, and reflect, and obtain knowledge. 
But this principle also is liable to be perverted. One of 
the greatest obstacles, which practical sanctification has 
to contend with, is the prevalence of a spirit of irregular 
and unchastened curiosity. It is here that Satan has 
taken up his position in great security and strength, al- 
most unseen by any one ; and is throwing his weapons, 
and slaying numbers, who seem to be entirely ignorant 
what poisoned dart has hit them. 

I will take a case, by no means an uncommon one, 
which will stand for many others. Here is an individ- 
ual, a member of a church, who sustains in the view of 
his brethren a fair religious reputation, but who, by his 
own confession, has but little real communion with God, 
and, like many others, has but little religious enjoyment. 
And what is the reason of this ? He is constant at church ; 
he is regular in his family devotions ; he is fair and hon- 
est in his transactions in business ; he is liberal to the 
poor and to the cause of religious missions ; and he does 
not perceive himself, and others do not clearly perceive, 
why he does not walk with God, and enjoy continually 
17* 



198 ON THE NATURE AND REGULATION 

the light of his countenance. But the reason is, that he 
is ignorantly seeking himself, and making an idol of him 
self, contrary to the will and the honor of God. by 
indulging a wandering and excessive curiosity. It has 
perhaps never occurred to him that he is as much ac 
countable to God for the regulation of the curious or in 
quisitive propensity, as for any other principle of our 
nature. This principle he exercises, in a way to gratify 
himself, by indulging inordinately in a variety of mis- 
cellaneous reading, by lending an itching ear to the con- 
stant influx of political news, by taking an undue inter- 
est in the constantly circulating gossip of families and 
neighborhoods ; in a word, by a strong and almost irre- 
sistible craving to hear every thing that is to be heard, 
and to know every thing that is to be known, whether 
good or evil, profitable or unprofitable. Like the Athe- 
nians of old, he spends no small portion of that time 
which God has committed to him as a precious trust, in 
telling or hearing some new thing. Such is the melan- 
choly statement which is applicable to hundreds and 
thousands of those who bear the Christian name. There 
can be no doubt that the evils of this state of things are 
manifold and great. 

(1.) In the first place, the undue indulgence of the 
principle of curiosity, by filling the mind with that which 
is unprofitable, necessarily excludes much which is of 
essential value. There are undoubtedly limits to the 
mind's receptive capacity. And there is such a thing as 
filling and crowding it so completely with other things, 
as to exclude, in a great degree, the idea of God, and 
many important religious truths. How is it possible for 
God to dwell in a mind that is already occupied, 
et pressed down and running over," if one may so express 
it, with idle thoughts, with foolish and romantic specu- 
lations, with the criminations and recriminations of party 
politics, with idle and often cruel and unjust village and 
neighborhood reports, which are indiscriminately sought 
and swallowed by the insatiable eagerness of this princi 
pie, when it has become excessive in its action ? 



# OF THE PRINCIPLE OF CURIOSITY. t ( J ( J 

(2.) Another remark is, that a life, of which ex 
'essive curiosity is the leading element, is necessarily an- 
cagonistical to a life of faith. Knowledge necessarily 
excludes faith, in regard to the thing which is known. 
And we do not hesitate to say, that ignorance with faith 
is, in many things, better than knowledge without it. 
In many things, therefore, having relation to ourselves 
and others, and especially in many things which have 
relation to the divine government, we must be willing to 
remain in the darkness of sense, in order that we may 
enjoy the light of religious trust. It is obvious that this 
is a condition to which the man of excessive curiosity 
does not easily submit. He is restless in his state of 
ignorance, because he has but little trust in God. How 
different is the state of mind (a state of mind which many 
Christians can testify to be of inexpressible value) which 
is disclosed in the devout words of Fenelon : " Behold 
my wants which I am ignorant of; but do Thou be- 
hold, and do according to thy mercy. Smite or heal ! 
Depress or raise me up! I adore all thy purposes with- 
out knowing them.''' 1 

(3.) We remark, again, that the unrestrained action 
of the principle under consideration is inconsistent, to a 
considerable extent at least, with that degree of religious 
retirement, and with that inward and outward silence, 
which have so close a connection with the growth of the 
inward life. It cannot reasonably be expected, when we 
consider the natural results in the case, that men who 
indulge an excessive curiosity will find time to be much 
alone with God, or that they will be possessed of that 
"quietness of spirit " which the Bible has pronounced 
to be of great price. On the contrary, they are necessa- 
rily compelled to pay the heavy penalty of their imchas- 
tened eagerness of spirit, by being withdrawn from the 
inward to the outward, and by finding it easier and 
sweeter to their perverted tastes to indulge in the attrac- 
tions and excitements of the world than to commune 
with the calmness and purity of the God of peace. 

(4.) But this is not all. The evil which we are 



200 ON THE NATURE AND REGULATION 

considering strikes still more directly at the life of reli- 
gion in the soul. The man who indulges in excessive 
curiosity makes this indulgence— in other words, his love 
of some new thing — his idol. The tyranny, which the 
love of news exercises over him, is as strong and as ter- 
rible as the tyranny which the love of his possessions 
exercises over the mind of the miser ; and it is not too 
much to say of him, that he worships news as really and 
as strongly as other men worship money. And how can 
we suppose that the love of God, which is inconsistent 
with the inordinate love of every thing else, can take up 
its residence in a heart that is in this situation ? 

We trust that none will pervert these important views. 
The principle of curiosity is one of the most important 
and powerful principles of our nature. But it varies in 
its exercise. Sometimes, it must be admitted, it is too 
weak. At other times, it so increases in strength as not 
only to be inordinately active and strong, but so much so 
as to assume almost a diseased or morbid character. The 
doctrine, therefore, which we propose, is nothing more 
nor less than this, viz. : That this powerful and impor- 
tant principle should be properly regulated. It ought to 
be as strictly and carefully brought to the test of su- 
preme rectitude as any other internal principle — such as 
the love of society, or the natural desire of esteem or of 
happiness. We are bound, as seekers or professors of 
holiness, to pray for direction in what we shall know, as 
much as we are to pray for direction in what we shall 
do ; and unless this rule is constantly and devoutly ob- 
served, no person is at liberty to indulge the belief that 
he is acceptable with God. 

Let us not forget the awful lesson which stands written 
in the early records of our fallen race. When our first 
parent, under the instigations of Satan, who declared 
to her that she should be as gods, "knowing good 
and evil," beheld the fruit of the forbidden tree, as de- 
sirable to make one loise, she took it and did eat. How 
much better, we may well exclaim, in view of an event 
attended with such melancholy results, is ignorance with 



OF THE PRINCIPLE OF CURIOSITY. 201 

holiness than knowledge with transgression! — Know 
ing, then, the dangers, generally so little understood and 
so little suspected,' of an unrestrained and unhallowed 
curiosity, may we go to the great Teacher, who will 
never guide us wrong. The language of our blessed 
Savior is, " Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in 
heart, and ye shall find rest to your souls." We need 
not fear that he will consign us to any ignorance which 
is really unprofitable. It is true, he will not, like the 
great enemy of our race, direct to the pursuit of any form 
of knowledge which will involve us in destruction ; but 
he will encourage us in the pursuit of true knowledge. 
It is given to the people of Christ, in his own cheering 
expressions, " to know the mysteries of the kingdom of 
heaven." And while, under the guidance of the Holy 
Spirit, they will be permitted to become acquainted with 
all those forms of secular knowledge which are truly de- 
sirable and proper, the great subjects of their thoughts 
and inquiries will be the truths and mysteries of the 
heavenly kingdom. And thus grace and peace shall be 
multiplied to them, " through the knowledge of God 
and of Jesus our Lord." 



202 



CHAPTER EIGHTH. 



ON THE GRACE OF SILENCE AS THE MEANS OF 
SUSTAINING A HOLY LIFE. 

We proceed now to the consideration of a topic in 
some degree related to those of the two preceding chap- 
ters. It is obvious that neither the social principle, nor 
the principle of curiosity, can be carried out to their an- 
ticipated and legitimate results, in all respects, without 
the use of the tongue. Both principles imply communi- 
cation ,* and communication is effected chiefly by the use 
of speech. And on the other hand, both principles are 
susceptible of being kept in check and of being regulat- 
ed, in some degree, by the restricted and regulated use 
of this important medium of intercourse. It is in. conse- 
quence, therefore, of its various relations, particularly to 
the principles which have just been mentioned, that the 
regulation of the tongue has a close connection, perhaps 
more so than is generally imagined, with the permanent 
support of the Interior Life. Our remarks, however, 
will be of a general character. 

In the first place, a great freedom in the use of the 
tongue, an incontinence of speech, if we may so express 
it, necessarily involves a loss of time. When people 
meet together, as they generally do, without recollection 
in God, how many things are said which are obviously 
unprofitable, but which, nevertheless, do not occupy 
less time on account of their inutility ! It was one of 
the rules of conduct laid down by that devoted servant 
of God, Herman Franke, " not to make the things of 
this world a subject of conversation, except when God 
may be honored, or good done to our neighbor thereby.' 1 
The application of some rule of this kind to the conver- 



ON THE GRACE OF SILENCE. 203 

sation of the great mass of Christians would undoubt- 
edly show that much of it neither honors God nor bene- 
fits their neighbor ; and that, consequently, the precious 
time which it requires is lost. But he, who is fully re- 
solved to walk in holiness before the Lord, cannot delib- 
erately waste his time. It is a precious deposit, whici 
his heavenly Father has committed to his trust, and foi 
which he is responsible. We repeat, therefore, that a 
holy person cannot deliberately waste it; and conse- 
quently, he will feel constrained by the most serious rea- 
sons to refrain from frivolous and useless conversation. 

(2.) But this is not all. We remark, in the second 
place, that it is almost impossible to speak much, with- 
out saying that which is positively injurious as well as 
unprofitable. It would be unreasonable to expect to in- 
dulge freely in conversation with others, in the manner 
in which men commonly do, without conforming, in part 
at least, to their own views and terms of social inter- 
course. In other words, we seem to be under the 
necessity of sympathizing, to some extent, with their 
trains of thought and experience ; and are not at liberty 
wholly to reject subjects which are pleasing to them. 
And who does not know that, acting on this view, we 
are often introduced to various topics which, both in 
their nature and tendency, are exceedingly remote from 
a religious and edifying character. How large a portion, 
for instance, of the conversation of the great mass of man- 
kind is taken up with censorious and unfavorable com- 
ments on the conduct of their neighbors ! How much 
there is of expressed or hinted suspicion ! How much 
of backbiting and slander! Now, if we would not be 
accessory to sins of this kind, we must learn the diffi- 
cult art of controlling the tongue, and of forming habits 
of conscientious silence. 

(3.) Again, too much conversation has an injurious 
effect upon the religious interests of the mind, in addi- 
tion to what has already been said, by filling the soul 
with many vain and useless thoughts. All such thoughts 
take up more or less of the mind's attention; and just 



204 ON THE GRACE OF &1LENCE AS THE 

so far as it is so occupied, it is necessarily deprived of 
the consciousness of God's sweet and purifying pres- 
ence. Such are the laws of the mind, that it cannot 
possibly be occupied with God and a multitude of 
worldly vanities at the same time. 

And, in addition to this, it should be remembered, 
that words are one of the outward signs and natural 
expressions of the inward passions ; and, whatever may 
be true of those of a different character, it is well un- 
derstood that the resentful or angry passions, which 
often interpose an obstacle to holiness, generally acquire 
great vigor by outward exhibitions. On the contrary, it 
is equally well understood that they as generally wither 
and die under a system of repression and silence. So 
that, by maintaining a judicious practice of silence, we 
shall not only find our thoughts less liable to wander, 
and more collected in God, than they would otherwise 
be, but shall also find the resentful passions, and the ex- 
citing passions generally, when thus deprived of the 
powerful stimulation of words, more submissive, and 
more perfectly under control. 

(4.) Again, outward silence favors inward silence. In 
other words, it promotes inward and spiritual rest ; a 
cessation from that inordinate and grasping activity 
which is prompted by the life of nature. This is in- 
volved, in part, in what has already been said ; but it is 
worthy of a distinct and particular notice. The utter- 
ance of words necessarily connects us with things out- 
ward to ourselves, and sometimes implicates us very 
strongly with scenes, transactions, and interests, of an 
external, and generally of a worldly, character. But 
the natural and almost necessary result of outward si- 
lence is the retrocession of the soul into itself, and, in 
general, a decided tendency to the resumption of inward 
peace. And this state of things, as we have already 
had occasion to notice, is favorable to the entrance, in- 
dwellings, and operations, of the Holy Spirit. It is in 
such a soul, much more than in others, that the great 
Comforter and Teacher loves to take up his residence 



MEANS OF SUSTAINING A HOLY LIFF. 205 

and to expand his benign influences. " As much as lies 
in thy power," says the devout Kempis, " shun the re- 
sorts of worldly men ; for much conversation on worldly 
business, however innocently managed, greatly retards 
the progress of the spiritual life. We are soon capti- 
vated by vain objects and employments, and soon de- 
filed. And I have wished, a thousand times, that I had 
either not been in company or had been silent." 

(5.) It should also have great weight with us, that the 
Scriptures impart so much instruction on this subject. 
So liable are we to offend in the use of the tongue, and 
so difficult is it to regulate ourselves in this respect, that 
we are told by the apostle James, " If any man offend 
not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to 
bridle the whole body." In Proverbs, also, xxi. 23, it 
is said, " Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue, 
keepeth his soul from troubles." There are other pas- 
sages of similar import ; but how little, notwithstand- 
ing, is the importance of properly regulating our speech 
realized? Some persons, even some Christians, seem to 
think (if we may be allowed to judge from their con- 
duct) that crime may attach to almost any form of hu- 
man action out this. O that they would remember the 
words of the Savior ! words which should be engraven 
upon the heart of every one who aims at holiness : 
"But I say unto you, that every idle word that men 
shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day 
of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified ; 
and by thy words shalt thou be condemned." 

But some will perhaps inquire, whether we may not 
converse much, if our object be to do good. I admit 
that we may, if we can do more good in this way, in- 
cluding what we owe to ourselves as well as what we 
owe to others, than we can by a judicious mixture of 
conversation and silence. But then we should consider 
that we cannot reasonably expect to do much good ; 
without a heart richly replenished with divine grace. 
And I believe it is a common opinion, that the disburse- 
ments of frequent talking, without the incomes of a 
18 



206 ON THE GRACE OF SILENCE AS THE 

orayerful silence, generally result, and vary rapidly too. 
n the evaporation and loss of the inward life. And 
accordingly, it is a frequent saying, that a man may, in 
a modified sense of the expression, "talk away his reli- 
gion." And it may be added, further, as in accordance 
with what has now been said, that pious ministers not 
unfrequently lament that calls for outward action and 
for much speaking to others leave them too little time 
for interior retirement, and for seasons of spiritual re- 
freshment and advancement, by communication with 
the everlasting Fountain. 

In connection with the subject, we proceed to make 
a few brief practical remarks. And the first which we 
have to make relates to the manner of our conversation , 
viz., we should make it a general rule to avoid express- 
ing ourselves in a very emphatic and passionate man- 
ner, and with a high tone of voice. It is well under- 
stood, that such a method of outward expression reacts 
upon the mind, and has a tendency to produce an ex- 
cited and inordinate state of the feelings within ; and 
besides, it is generally unpleasant and unprofitable to the 
hearers. It will be noticed, that we are not speaking 
here of public occasions, (in respect to which the rule 
must be adopted with its appropriate restrictions,) but of 
conversation. And I think we may profitably add here, 
that the rule is capable of some extension. A truly 
consecrated person will not only be characterized by 
quietness of manner, so far as words and voice are con- 
cerned, but also in other outward respects. His counte- 
nance, his action, his general movement, will be per- 
vaded, in a great measure, by the same beautiful and 
Christ-like trait. 

Another remark is, that we should be careful not to 
speak much of ourselves and of our own affairs. There 
are, undoubtedly, some exceptions to this view ; espe- 
cially whsn suitable opportunities present themselves of 
speaking of God's dealings with our souls. But, nev- 
ertheless, this seems to be the correct general rule. 
Such conversations, viz., those which turn frequently 



MEANS OF SUSTAINING A HOLY LIFE. 207 

and almost exclusively upon ourselves, besides not be- 
ing, in general, edifying to others, are apt, by directing 
our thoughts from the glory of God to the persons and 
the affairs of the creature, to reanimate and strengthen 
the dying life of self. 

Again, it is not religiously profitable to make the per- 
sons and concerns of our neighbors the frequent subjects 
of our discourse, unless it be for the purpose of saying 
what we know can properly be said in their favor, of 
vindicating them against aspersions, or for some other 
good and charitable purpose. This rule, too, has, in 
practice, its appropriate limitations, which a judicious 
piety will be likely to suggest. 

The only further practical remark which we wish to 
make on this subject at present, is, that, when we are 
falsely spoken against, or in some other way greatly 
injured, we should not, as a general rule, be hasty to 
reply. The life of nature would prompt us to reply 
quickly, to vindicate ourselves at all hazards, and some- 
times, perhaps, with a considerable degree of sharpness 
and violence. But the gentle spirit of Christ in the soul, 
which says, " Without my Father I can do nothing," 
always leads us to look to God for aid and direction 
before we look to ourselves and our own wisdom, or to 
the precipitate help of earthly friends. It was thus with 
the prophet Daniel. When misrepresented, injured, and 
persecuted, he at once turned his thoughts to God as his 
only protection. In his solitary chamber, kneeling be- 
fore the face of the Infinite Presence, and with no dis- 
position to look any where else, he intrusted his cause 
to Him who alone is able to help. The example of the 
Savior, also, in relation to this subject, is particularly 
instructive. When brought to trial before Pilate, al- 
though he could easily have made a defence, he chose 
io be silent ; " he answered him to never a tvord, inso- 
much that the governor marvelled greatly." In the 
language of the evangelical prophet, " He was oppressed 
and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth ; he 
is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep 



<208 ON THE GRACE OF SILENCE. 

before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his 
mouth. ■' The deep grace, which manifests itself by 
patience and silence under the circumstances which have 
been mentioned, will pi sad far more eloquently in our 
behalf than all the torrent of words and all the vivacity 
of effort which the life of nature is so ready to pour 
forth. 






'* Teach us, in time of deep distress, 

To own thy hand, O God, 
And in submissive silence learn 

The lessons of thy rod. 
In every changing scene of life, 

Whate'er that scene may be, 
Give us a meek and humble mind, 

A mind at peace with thee ! 



209 



CHAPTER NINTH. 

ON THE NATURE AND REGULATION OF THE 
AFFECTIONS. 



There are a number of other principles, besides those 
that have been mentioned, which come under the gen- 
eral head of the propensities, which are important in 
their place, and all of which require to be restored from 
the vicious action with which a fallen nature has inspired 
them. This may be said, for instance, of the desire 
of esteem, obviously a distinct and implanted principle 
of nature, which leads us to consult the opinions and 
to value highly the favorable sentiments of our fellow- 
men — a principle which is often irregular and morally 
perverse in its action, and which can never be made 
what it ought to be, except under the restrictions and 
with the aids of sanctifying grace. But the doctrines 
and illustrations which have been laid down in relation 
to other propensities will easily apply to this and to oth- 
er cases which have not been remarked upon. It is not 
consistent with our limits, and probably it is not neces- 
sary, to delay further upon them. 

( 1. ) The affections, also, — a still higher class of prin- 
ciples than the appetites and propensities, — require to 
be sanctified. As they exist in the natural man, with 
whatever titles of amiableness and excellence we may 
dignify them, it is still true that they are impregnated 
with the vicious element of the natural life, and are not 
holy. It cannot be doubted that it is right for a man 
to love the members of his family, and that it is his 
duty to do so ; but if his domestic attachments become, 
from any cause, so strong as to annul or to vitiate his 
- 18* 



2l() ON THE NATURE AND 

love to men generally, or to God, or, on the other hand, 
if they become so weakened as to fall short of the di- 
vine requirements, they are wrong. 

Immutable right has a claim and a power which enti- 
tle it to regulate every thing else. Even love itself, an 
element so essential to all moral goodness that it gives 
a character and name to God himself, ceases to be love 
the moment it ceases to be in conformity with justice. 
Love that is not just is not holy ; and love that is not 
holy is selfishness under the name of love. Every 
affection, therefore, however amiable and honorable it 
may be when it is in a right position, is wrong, and 
is at variance with inward holiness of life, which is not 
in conformity with the rule of right. And in hearts 
unsanctified, just so far as there is a defect or want of 
sanctification, — in other words, just so far as the love 
of God fails to regulate such affections, — this is always 
the case. 

(2.) The affections are generally divided into the be- 
nevolent and the malevolent affections. The basis ot 
the benevolent affections is love ; the basis of the other 
class is the principle of resentment. The doctrines ol 
holiness apply to the principle of resentment, as well 
as to other parts of the mind. It is impossible for a 
holy person not to be displeased, and sometimes greatly 
displeased, at acts of iniquity. The injunction of the 
apostle, " Be ye angry and sin not," seems to imply that 
there may be cases in which a person may be displeased, 
and may be angry, without necessarily incurring sin. 
It is said of the blessed Savior himself, that he looked 
upon the Pharisees " with anger, being grieved for the 
hardness of their hearts." But here, again, the evil 
hand of nature (not nature as it was, but nature as it 
has become) has been at work. Selfishness, which is 
but another name for the life of nature, infuses into the 
displeasure of the unsanctified man, even when there is 
a foundation for it within proper limits, a degree of se- 
verity and unforgivingness which is inconsistent v^ith 
holiness, and is fatal to true inward peace. 



REGULATION OF THE AFFECTIONS. 211 

How often and how sadly this has been the case, 
how often and how deeply individuals and churches 
have been injured from this cause, no one is ignorant 
Families and nations, as well as individuals, have ex- 
perienced the dreadful effects of the displeased and 
angry feelings, when they are not overruled and kept 
in check by true piety. The history of the world, from 
its earliest periods, is a solemn and monitory lesson on 
this subject. " He that is slow to anger is better than 
the mighty ; and he that ruleth his spirit, than he that 
taketh a city." There seems to be need of greater 
effort, and of more faith and prayer, to regulate entirely 
this department of the affections, (usually denominated 
the malevolent affections,) than is required in the regu- 
lation of the other. But the grace of God is sufficient 
even here. 

(3. ) When the desires, including the various appetites, 
propensities, and affections, are reduced to their proper 
position, by being brought under the controlling influ- 
ence of divine love, and are truly sanctified to the Lord, 
there is a foundation laid for the right action of the will. 
It is well understood, I suppose, that the will acts, if it 
acts at all, in accordance either with natural and inter- 
ested motives, on the one hand, or with moral motives, on 
the other. In a mind that is not the subject of any de- 
gree of alienated action, and which, therefore, in the 
ordinary sense of the terms, may properly be called a 
sound mind, the moral sense will always act right and 
act effectively, and will always furnish a powerful mo- 
tive to the will, unless it is perplexed and weakened in 
its action (which, however, is very likely to be the case 
in the natural man) by the influence of unsanctified de- 
sires. If, therefore, the desires are sanctified, and the 
perplexing and disordering influence from that source is 
taken away, the feelings of desire and the sentiment of 
justice will combine their action in the same direction, 
and the action of the will cannot be otherwise than 
holy. To possess holy desires, therefore, in their vari- 
ous modifications, or, what is the same thing, to possess, 



212 ON THE REGULATION OF THE 4FFECTIONS. 

as we sometimes express it, a hoiy heart, is necessarily 
to possess a holy will. There is no reason, under such 
circumstances, why the will should not act right. And 
a right will is a holy will. 

To secure such a consummation, — the appetites sub- 
dued, the propensities regulated, the affections sanctified 
the will just in its action, and consequently united with 
the will of God, — to secure a result so immensely im- 
portant in itself and its relations, how devoutly should 
we r>ray ! how constantly and ardently should we labor ! 



"Create, O God, my powers anewj 
Make my whole heart sincere and true. 
O, cast me not in wrath away, 
Nor let thy sotu-eniivening ray 
Still cease tc shine ! " 



213 



CHAPTER TENTH. 



OF THE EXCISION AND CRUCIFIXION OF THfc 
NATURAL LIFE. 



["And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from 
thee ; for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should per- 
ish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy 
right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee ; for it is profit- 
able for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy 
whole body should be cast into hell." Matt. v. 29, 30.] 

The natural life, as we have already had occasion to 
notice, has a close connection with the natural desires. 
Just so far as such desires are inordinate in their action, 
they are the result of unsanctifled nature, and not of the 
Spirit of God. The root, however, the original and 
fruitful source of that state of things in the natural heart 
which is conveniently denominated the natural life, is 
the inordinate action of the principle of self-love ; de- 
nominated, in a single term, selfishness. The pernicious 
influence from this source, with the exception of what 
has become sanctified by the Spirit of God, reaches and 
corrupts every thing. Hence the importance of the 
process of excision. It is not only important, but indis- 
pensably necessary, that this evil influence should be 
met and destroyed wherever it exists — a process often 
exceedingly painful, but inevitable to him who would 
be relieved from his false position, and put in harmony 
with God. There must be a cutting off, and a re- 
newed and repeated cutting off, till the tree of self, 
despoiled of its branches and foliage, and thus deprived 
of the nourishment of the rain, the sun, and the atmos- 
phere, dies down to its very root ; giving place, in its 
destruction, to the sweet bloom of the :ree of life. 



214 



OF THE EXCISION AND CRUCIF1XION 



We have formerly had occasion to say, that a life of 
practical holiness depends essentially upon two things: 
first, upon an entire consecration of ourselves, body and 
spirit, to the Lord; and, second, upon a belief that this 
consecration is accepted. We must, in the first place, 
offer up our whole being as a sacrifice to the Lord, lay- 
ing all upon his altar. But we should remember, it is 
laid there in order that the natural life may be consumed, 
and that there may be a resurrection of the true spiritual 
life from its ashes. He, therefore, who has consecrated 
himself to God, must expect that the truth of the conse- 
cration will be tested by the severity of an interior cru- 
cifixion, which is the death of nature, but, in the end, 
present and everlasting life. It is not till the flame has 
come upon us, and we have passed through the fire of the 
inward crucifixion, which consumes the rottenness, and 
the hay and stubble, of the old life of nature, that we 
can speak, in a higher sense, of the new life, and say, 
Christ liveth in me. But this subject, which is vi- 
tally important in connection with the highest results of 
religious experience, will be better understood by going 
into some particulars. 

(I.) In the first place, God will require of us, in the 
fulfilment of our act of consecration, that we shall sepa- 
rate ourselves from all inordinate indulgence of the 
appetites. Undoubtedly, there is a degree of natural 
pleasure, connected with the exercise of the appetites, 
which is lawful. But it is very obvious, that self in the 
natural man, which is always seeking for pleasure, 
without regarding either its nature or its lawfulness, 
has polluted every thing here. It is in connection with 
the appetites in their unsanctified state, that we find one 
of the strong ties which bind man to his idols, and 
which subject his proud spirit. This strong bond 
must be sundered. No one can be acceptable to God, 
who does not crucify and reject every form of attraction 
and pleasure from this source, which is not in accord- 
ance with the intentions of nature, and does not receive 
the divine approbation and sanction. But we have 



OF THE NATURAL. LIFE. 215 

already had occasion to make some remarks on this sub- 
ject, and it is not necessary to extend them here. 

(II.) We are required, in the second place, to reduce 
to a subordinated action, and in this sense to crucify, the 
propensive principles ; and also the natural affections, 
interesting and important as such affections are, so far 
as they are not purified in divine love, and made one 
with the divine will. The natural affections, even in 
their more amiable and lovely forms, often gain an as- 
cendency in the mind, and exercise a tyranny over it, 
which is inconsistent with the restoration of unity with 
God. How many persons make idols of their children, 
of their parents, or of other near relatives ! It is very 
obvious that such strong attachments, though they may 
be dear as the right hand or the right eye, must be cru- 
cified and cut off. " He that loveth father or mother," 
says the Savior, " more than me, is not worthy of me ; 
and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not 
worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it ; 
and he that loseth his life for my sake, shall find it.' 1 
To this topic, also, we have already had occasion tu 
refer. 

(III.) We proceed to remark, in the third place, that, 
in the process of entire separation from any and every 
reliance out of God, Ave must cease to place undue con- 
fidence in men generally. It is a matter of common 
remark, that the natural man, afraid to put his trust in 
God alone, generally seeks advice and assistance from 
his fellow-men ; especially from those who are in some 
degree conspicuous for information and influence. 
Those also, who have known something of the truth 
and power of religion, but are as yet beginners in the 
Christian life, have not unfrequently erred in the same 
way. Many times, instead of looking to God for help, 
they have sought assistance from near Christian friends ; 
they have unduly relied perhaps upon their public re- 
ligious teachers, or have sought, in the spirit of distrust 
towards God, some other exterior source of consolation 
and support. It is important to observe, however, that 



216 OF THE EXCISION AND CRUCIFIXION 

the error does not so much consist in seeking the advice 
and support of men, — which, under certain circum- 
stances, we acknowledge to be very proper, — as ir 
seeking it in an undue degree, and to the exclusion ot 
God. Such is the nature of God, and such are our re- 
lations to him, that he cannot possibly admit of a rival 
in our affections. It is reasonable, therefore, that he 
should expect us in our troubles to make the first appli- 
cations to himself, and to lay our trials and wants before 
him with that readiness and confidence which we no- 
tice in little children, who naturally seek the advice and 
assistance of their parents, before looking to other sources 
of support ; and we shall always find this course safest 
for ourselves, as well as most pleasing and honorable to 
God. 

From all forms, therefore, and from all degrees of 
trust in men, — except so far as they are kept in perfect 
subordination to a higher and ultimate trust in God, — 
there must be a separation. We must learn the grea* 
lesson of making God our helper ; and not on particular 
occasions merely, but always. In the beautiful language 
)f the Psalmist, " My soul, wait thou only upon God, 
for ray expectation is from him ! " 

(IV.) We proceed to observe further, that, in the ful- 
filment of our personal consecration, and in the further 
process of renunciation and excision, there must be a 
separation, a cutting loose from all reliance, as a ground 
of merit or of self-gratulation in any shape, on our own 
works. It is undoubtedly trying to unsubdued and self- 
ish nature, to attach no value, considered as its own 
works, to what it fondly calls its good deeds ; such as 
its outward morality, its attendance upon the institutions 
of worship, its study of the Scriptures, its visits to the 
sick, its charities to the poor, and other things of a sim- 
ilar nature. These things, it is true, are all good and 
desirable. We would not, by any means, speak lightly 
of them. It is perhaps difficult to value them too highly, 
if we ascribe them, as we ought to do, to the mere favor 
and grace of God. But by excluding the influence of 



OF THE NATURAL LIFE. 217 

ihe grace of God, and ascribing them to his own merit, 
it is easy to see that a man may make an idol of his 
good works, whatever may be their nature ; and that he 
may, in the perversity of his spirit, fall down and wor- 
ship them. We must be willing, therefore, to account 
our good deeds as nothing, and to regard ourselves, when 
we have done all in our power, as unprofitable servants, 
in order that Christ may be to us all in all. 

(V.) A. fifth remark, which we have to make in con- 
nection with this subject, is, that it is necessary to cut 
off and crucify the inward desire, which so generally 
prevails, for the experience of special signs and testi- 
monies of acceptance with God. There is hardly any 
Christian, who has not, at some period of his religious 
history, experienced some perplexity in this respect. 
One of the most difficult lessons which we are called to 
learn, — one, however, which is indispensable, if we 
would know the heights and depths of the religious life, 
— is that of living by simple faith. God expects us, 
and has a right to expect us, to leave ourselves and ali 
our interests in his hands, in the full confidence that he 
will do every thing which is right ; and it is obviously 
the duty of every Christian to correspond to this claim 
on the part of God, and to yield himself up, body and 
spirit, in the bonds of an everlasting covenant ; fully 
believing thai God will not desert him either in duty 
or in temptation ; and whether he is led in light or in 
darkness, with sensible manifestations and testimonies, 
or without them, that all things will be well in the end, 
and will work together for his own good and for the 
divine glory. But too often this duty is not regarded. 
To live by faith, to lean upon the mere word of God, 
without the supports of sight, is a very humbling way 
of living; and it is hard for the natural man, and even 
for the partially sanctified man, to receive it. Nature, 
so far as it exists in the heart, chooses another method, 
one more suited to itself, but less glorious to God. 
Some good Christians have exceedingly perplexed and 
injured themselves, for a considerable "ength of time, by 
19 



218 OF THE EXCISION AND CRUCIFIXION 

attempting to maintain the inward life on the erroneous 
system of special signs, tokens, and testimonies, such as 
an audible voice, the application of some unknown 
passage of Scripture, the occurrence of some remarkable 
temporal event, the possession of a preconceived and 
specified state of joyous feeling, or something of the 
kind, which, in their ignorance, or under the influence 
of remaining self-will, are earnestly sought from God, 
as the pledges and evidences of their acceptance. Such 
a system of living has scarcely any affinity, and perhaps 
none at all, with the true life of God in the soul. The 
Christian life, we repeat, is emphatically a life of faith ; 
but to endeavor to live in the way which has just been 
referred to, is evidently a deviation from the way of 
faith, and tends directly to strengthen the unspeakable 
evil of distrust in God. 

From every thing of this kind, therefore, we must 
separate ourselves without hesitation, however painful 
the process may be. In the spirit of self-crucifixion, 
we must learn the great lesson of relying by simple be- 
lief on the mere declaration of God ; and in doing this 
we need not fear. What need has the principle of in- 
ward faith of any sign or testimony additional to itself? 
Faith, whenever it is strong enough to be a true light 
within, will always bear its evidence in its own nature. 
It no more asks or requires exterior illumination, than 
the sun in the heavens asks for a taper to learn its own 
illuminated position. " He that believeth on the Son 
of God, hath the witness in himself." 

(YI.) We remark, in the sixth place, that we must 
separate ourselves altogether from any reliance upon re- 
ligious feelings of any kind, considered as a ground or 
hope and salvation. We know well that there can be 
no religion without religious feelings. No man is, or 
can be, a Christian without them. They are indispen- 
sable. But what we think it necessary to object to and 
to condemn, is a disposition which sometimes exists to 
trust in our feelings, and to make a sort of idol of them, 
instead of trusting in Christ. A man, for instance, has 



OF THE NATURAL LIFE. 219 

experienced, at a particular time, great sorrow for sin, or 
high emotions of gratitude, or is sunk in depths of hu- 
mility. If, at some time after, his mind reverts to those 
feelings, and dwells much upon them, and in such a 
manner that he begins to place a degree of trust and 
confidence in them, instead of placing his trust in the 
Savior, it must necessarily be to his great injury. It is 
not our feelings, but Christ, that saves us. If we look 
to our feelings for salvation, instead of looking to Christ, 
we necessarily miss our object ; and in accordance with 
this view, we sometimes find persons who are contin- 
ually examining, and reexamining, and poring over, their 
past experience, but who are generally in much darkness 
of mind. Probably, without being fully aware of it, 
they are secretly looking for something in the history 
of their past feelings which they can place their trust 
in, instead of turning away from themselves, which 
would be much better, and looking directly upward to 
a sufficient and present Redeemer. 

This distinction is a real one, — viz., between trusting 
in our feelings and trusting in the Savior, — though not 
very obvious at first ; and is highly important in its con- 
nection with the religious life. It seems to me, that 
religious feelings are valuable, and can be valuable, only 
as they tend, in their ultimate result, to unite us more 
and more closely to the Divine Mind. If, therefore, we 
are so unwise as to stop and to rest in our feelings as the 
ground of our hope, and especially if we take a degree 
of complacency in them, in themselves considered, or 
because they may properly be regarded as our own 
feelings, we not only stop short of God, to whom they 
should lead us, but pervert them — valuable as they are 
in their proper exercise and relations — to our own ex- 
ceeding detriment. 

We come to the conclusion, therefore, and repeat 
again, that we should not place any reliance upon our 
feelings, in themselves considered, as a ground of ac- 
ceptance with God; and also that we should not, in an\ 
point of view, take any unduly interested and selfish 



220 OF THE EXCISION AN! CRUCIFIXION 

complacency in them. We must banish and crucify this 
form of idolatry also, which is none the less dangerous 
for being so interior and secret. If, in the exercise of 
naked faith, we will turn our eyes to God and to his 
glory rather than to ourselves, we shall soon experience 
a divine reaction in the soul itself, and shall find that 
God, who is faithful to his promise, will abundantly 
take care of us both without and within. We shall 
then have both the right degree and the right kind of 
feelings. We shall have no idols, but we shall have 
God ; and we shall have no feelings that are appropriate 
to idols, but shall have the feelings which are appropri- 
ate to God. And in accordance with this view, and in 
point of fact, it will be found that, of two Christians, 
the one who is the most penitent, the most humble, the 
most grateful, the most devoted in his love, will think 
the least of those particular exercises. His mind will 
be, as it wore, out of himself. You will see him living 
religion, and not merely talking or thinking about re- 
ligion. Such a person will hardly be conscious of his 
feelings, considered as objects of distinct contemplation 
and thought, and will know them chiefly in the blessed 
result of increased oneness with his heavenly Father. 
He is not destitute of feeling ; but his feeling is, if we 
may so express it, not so much to dwell upon feeling 
and to trouble himself about feeling, as to lose himself 
in the will of God. Another mind, viz., "the mind of 
Christ," may be said to have taken inward possession ; 
and so c'ose is the union which has now been formed 
between himself and God, that he finds himself per- 
plexed, and at a loss, to discover the nature and opera- 
tions of what he was formerly wont to call his own 
mind. His state corresponds, in a great degree, and 
perhaps precisely, to what is implied in the expressions 
of the apostle, when he says, Gal. ii. 20, " I am cruci- 
fied with Christ ; nevertheless I live ; yet not I, but 
Christ liveth in me." 

(VII.) We observe, again, it is necessary, in order to 
the full attainment of what is designed for the Chris 



OF THE NATURAL LIFE. 221 

tian, that, in the continuance of this process of excision 
and crucifixion, he should cut off and crucify the de- 
sire of internal consolations and comforts. We do not 
mean to imply, in this remark, that the advanced and 
fully-established Christian is in a situation which, either 
directly or indirectly, is inconsistent with a full share of 
pleasurable and happy experience. On the contrary, his 
consolations, especially when he has found his true cen- 
tre, and has fully united his once wandering heart to 
the heart of God, are tranquil, enduring, and substantial. 
But to think of such consolations much, to desire them 
much, and especially to aim at them as an ultimate ob- 
ject, is the precise way to miss them. I think it is very 
obvious that he who is seeking comfort, as an ultimate 
object, is not seeking God, but seeking himself. He is 
not seeking reh'gion, in the proper sense of the term, 
but he is seeking just what he professes to seek, viz 
comfort. Such seeking is in vain. There is but one 
ultimate object at which, as those who wish to know 
the heights and depths of religion, we can safely aim 
viz., God himself; or, what maybe considered as essen- 
tially the same thing, a sympathy of our whole being 
with the holy will of God. 

It will be understood here, that we have not refer- 
ence, m these remarks, to temporal or worldly consola- 
tions, so much as to those which are internal and spirit- 
ual. Nor do we mean to say, that to desire spiritual 
consolations and comforts is, in all cases, wrong. But 
what we mean to assert is, that we cannot desire them 
and seek .them, out of the will of God, and as ultimate 
objects, without some degree of spiritual injury, and 
without falling short of the highest attainments in the 
divine life. To seek them in the way they are com- 
monly sought, is evidently to nourish the natural life, or 
the life of self, which it is the object, of true religion to 
destroy. The question was once put to a pious person, 
" whether she enjoyed herself." Her answer was to 
this effect — that she could not speak positively and 
promptly in regard to herself, because she endeavo^d 
19* 



222 OF THE EXCISION AND CRUCIFIXION 

to forget self ; but she enjoyed God. The reply evi- 
dently involved a great principle in religion. No one 
can enter into the true rest of the soul, in whom the 
principle of self-love exists in any degree inconsistent 
with loving God with the whole heart. " O my God," 
says the pious Lady Maxwell, " hear the cries of one on 
whom thou hast had mercy, and prepare my heart to 
receive whatever Christ has purchased for me. Allow 
me not to rest short of it. Put a thorn in every enjoy- 
ment, a worm in every gourd, that would either 'prevent 
my being loholly thine, or in any measure retard my 
-progress in the divine life?' 1 * 

(VIII.) Again, if we would be what the Lord would 
have us to be, we must be willing, in the spirit of in- 
ward crucifixion, to renounce and reject all other natu- 
ral desires, and all our own purposes and aims. We do 
not mean to imply, in this remark, that we must be so 
far lost to feeling and action as to be absolutely without 
all desires, purposes, and aims, whatever ; but that there 
must be a crucifixion and excision of all desires and 
purposes which spring from the life of nature, and not 
from the Spirit of God. In other words, it is our duty, 
as those who would glorify God in all things, to check 
every natural desire, and to delay every contemplated 
plan of action, until we can learn the will of God, and 
put ourselves under a divine guidance. Every desire 
must so far lose its natural character as to become spir- 
itually baptized and sanctified, before it can be accepta- 
ble to God ; and every plan of action, also, must, in like 
manner, have a divine origin. 

This principle in the doctrines of holy living (a prin- 
ciple which we had occasion to remark upon, in some 
of its aspects, more fully in a former chapter) goes very 
far, and strikes deep. The desire of knowledge, for 
instance, is generally considered a very innocent one. 
But, whenever it becomes so strong as to disquiet the 
inward nz.ture, and thus to perplex our intercourse with 

* Life of Lady Maxwell, chap. iv. 



OF THE NATURAL LIFE. 223 

God, it is obviously wrong. It ought always, tnerefore, 
to be subject to a divine teaching, and to be merged and 
lost, as it were, like all the other natural desires, in the 
supreme desire for God's glory — a desire which evidently 
is not the product of nature, but which can come from 
the inspiration of the Holy Ghost alone. 

It is a very proper remark to be made, also, in this 
connection, that our most intimate friendships, which 
involve more or less of desire, and generally strong de- 
sire, must be crucified. We are not at liberty to make 
an idol of our friends, however excellent their characters, 
or however closely united by natural ties. Such inordi- 
nate friendships stand between the soul and God, and 
hinder it from reaching its true centre ; and we do not 
see how they can be regarded, in the divine sight, as 
better than any other forms of idolatry. Even if those 
friends are eminent Christians, so much so as to bear the 
very image and likeness of the Savior himself, we can- 
not let our affections centre upon them, so as to make 
them the place of the soul's rest, without causing injury 
and offence to God. 

Without pursuing this important subject farther, — 
which it would be easy to do, inasmuch as self, in the 
natural man, diffuses itself every where, — we remark, in 
the last place, that, whenever we reach the highest re- 
sults in religion, we shall be willing, not only to suffer 
a separation from all present possessions and pleasures, 
both of body and mind, in subordination to the will -of 
God, but, having given ourselves to God, to be his now 
and his forever, shall be willing to leave our eternal in- 
terests entirely and quietly in his hands. In other words, 
we shall possess a faith in the goodness and holiness of 
God's character so strong, so unwavering, as to overcome 
all selfish tendencies, and to banish all anxiety, all dis- 
quieting fear and trouble, in respect to such interests, as 
well as in respect to other interests ; fully believing not 
only in the promises of God, but also that whatever he 
does is right, and never can be otherwise than right ; 
accounting God's glory as infinitely more precious than 



224 OF THE EXCISION AND CRUCIFIXION 

any thing else which can be brought into comparison 
with it ; and sincerely adopting, in this thing as in every 
thing else, the language of the Savior, "Not as 1 will, 
but as thou wilt." " Thy will be done." 

We would add here, that, when a person has gone 
through the process of inward crucifixion in its entire 
length and breadth, the great spiritual result is the com- 
plete extinction of all selfishness and of all self-will — a 
result brought about by means of an entire and un- 
changeable consecration, attended by the inwardly op- 
erating and searching influences of the Holy Spirit; a 
result which, in the end, is so minutely explorative, so 
thoroughly destructive of those inward influences which 
obstruct the presence of God in the soul, and withal so 
painful oftentimes, that it may well be termed the bap 
tism of fire. It is by means of such a process of in- 
ward crucifixion that the natural life dies : and the way 
is thus prepared for the true resurrection and life of 
Christ in the soul. 

(1.) In connection with the subject, we would make a 
few remarks, which seem naturally to flow out of it. 
And, in the first place, some will say, perhaps, that this 
doctrine, if true, is discouraging ; that they have not 
gone through this process of inward crucifixion, and 
therefore are not Christians. But we answer, such an 
inference would be a hasty one. But I think we may 
say this also : if such persons are really Christians, they 
are now going through this process. The little leaven 
is at work which will ultimately affect the whole lump. 
God is showing them their idols, and slaying them one 
after another, in order that he himself ma}?" enter and 
occupy their place. We must not think to go to heaven, 
and at the same time carry the natural life with us. It 
must be slain, and wholly slain, sooner or latei. 

(2.) We remark, again, in connection with this subject, 
that, in some persons, though not in many, the natural 
man, in the comparative sense of the terms, dies easily. 
These persons, these chosen ones of the Lord, seem to 
have an intuitive appreciation of what God justly and 



OF THE NATURAL ^IFE. 225 

necessarily requires. They see, with the clearness oi 
light, that it n impossible at the same time to serve God 
and Mammon. Accordingly, they submit themselves 
to the leadings and the power of God without resistance. 
They yield readily and willingly, like the lamb that is 
led to the slaughter ; and the result is, that the inward 
crucifixion, though not less deep and thorough, is per- 
sonally less afflictive. The Holy Spirit proceeds gently 
but constantly in his operations, unbinding every tie of 
nature, cutting loose every ligament which fastens the 
soul to the earth, until, in its freedom from the slavery 
of the world, it expands and rejoices in the liberty of 
God. 

(3.) Other persons, and, we may add, the great major- 
ity of persons, are not brought to this state of freedom 
from the world, and of union with God, without passing 
through exceeding afflictions, both external and internal. 
And this happens partly through ignorance, and partly, 
and more generally, through self-will. They are slow 
to learn what is to be done, and equally reluctant to 
submit to its being done. God desires and intends that 
they shall be his ; but, the hour of their inward redemp- 
tion not being fully come, they still love the world. 
They attach their affections first to one object, and then 
to another. They would, perhaps, be pleased to have 
God for their portion ; but they must have something 
besides God. In other words, they vainly imagine that 
they would like to have God and their idols at the same 
lime. And there they remain for a time, fixed, obsti- 
nate, inflexible. But God loves them. Therefore, as 
they will not learn by kindness, they must learn by ter- 
ror. The sword of Providence and the Spirit is applied 
successively to every tie that binds them to the world. 
Their property, their health, their friends, all fall before 
it. The inward fabric of hopes and joys, where self- 
love was nourished and pride had its nest, is levelled to 
the dust. They are smitten within and without ; burned 
with fire ; overwhelmed wi|h the waters ; peeled, and 
scathed, and blasted, to the very extremity of endur- 



226 OF THE EXCISION AND CRUCIFIXION 

ance ; till they learn, in this dreadful baptism, the incon- 
sistency of the attempted worship and love of God and 
Mammon at the same time, and are led to see that God 
is and ought to be the true and only Sovereign. 

(4. ) But some will say, perhaps, We are thus left alone , 
we are stripped of every thing which once gave us 
pleasure ; we are reduced to a. state of mere desolation 
and nothingness. And we may add, if such be really 
the result, that nothing could be more desirable. But 
it is necessary to make distinctions here. We arc not 
reduced to an absolute nothingness, — a nothingness of 
existence, of identity, and of personal capability, — but 
to a nothingness of self, and of the corrupt life of na- 
ture. The natural life is taken away ; and it is true, 
also, that every idol is taken away to which the life of 
nature clung for its support. But there is this consola- 
tion — that whatever of true value, external to the soul 
itself, is taken away in accomplishing the death of na- 
ture, is abundantly restored again, and is deprived, too, 
of all hurtful power, m the subsequent experience of the 
reviving life of God. We find that all which is neces- 
sary is given back to us in the day of our inward resto- 
ration, and, for the most part, increased a hundred fold 
We now love our friends, and families, and whatever 
else is proper to be loved ; but we do it in a different 
manner. We have been taught a lesson which it is 
impossible to forget. We have ceased to be idolaters. 
We henceforth love the gifts of God, which we had laid 
upon the divine altar as no longer our own, in their 
source more than in their termination, and not so much 
for ourselves as for the sake of the Giver. 

(5.) And this brings us to our concluding remark, that 
from the death of nature springs a new life, altogether 
different from that which is crucified and dead ; a life 
born of the Spirit of God, and bearing the image of the 
Savior. Just so far, then, as the old nature has expe- 
rienced a crucifixion, and a new nature has taken its 
place, we are the subjects cjf a spiritual resurrection in 
Christ. We are dead, and we are alive again ; dead to 



OF THE NATURAL LIFE. 227 

the world, and alive tc God. " If ye then be risen with 
Christ," says the apostle, Col. iii. 1 — 3, "seek those 
chings which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right 
hand of God. Set your affections on things above, and 
not on things ok the earth. For ye are dead, and your 
life is hid with Christ in God." 

And now, in the experience of the divinely renovated 
life, the soul, that is the subject of it, goes forth, not 
with the marks of external observation, but attended 
with the Holy Ghost and with power. Such a one 
has nothing in himself. Self is taken away. But he 
has all things in God. At this point commences the 
true apostolic life. Such a one is a true messenger, 
set apart to labor for God and to win souls ; not by hu- 
man eloquence, and not by the display of worldly pomp ; 
but by the simplicity of holy living, and by the word 
of power uttered in faith. 



" If tnou, O God, wilt make my spirit free, 
Then will that darkened soul be free indeed ; 

I cannot break my bonds apart from thee ; 

Without thy help I bow, and serve, and bleed. 

" Arise, O Lord, and, in thy matchless strength. 
Asunder rend the links my heart that bind ; 

And liberate, and raise, and save, at length, 
My long-enthralled and subjugated mind." 



228 



CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

ON THE NECESSITY OF POSSESSING THE GIFTS 
AND GRACES OF GOD IN PURITY OF SPIRIT. 

It is difficult to express, and even to conceive of, the 
subtleties and insinuations of selfishness. It enters 
every path ; it lurks in every secret place ; and wher- 
ever it finds its way, it pollutes, poisons, and destroys. 
It sometimes attaches itself, by a process almost imper- 
ceptible, to God's most valuable gifts and graces ; those 
which are spiritual, as well as those which are natural. 
An individual, for instance, is possessed of great natural 
ability. This ability is a gift of God. But how often 
it is that the possessor, thinking but little of the great 
Author of the gift, regards it as something peculiarly 
his own, and, instead of seeing God in it, sees only him- 
seif 1 Almost unconsciously to himself, and greatly to 
his spiritual injury, he is experiencing a secret elevation 
of spirit, and is taking a hidden complacency in an in- 
tellectual possession, which, when properly considered, 
should have increasingly detached him from self, and 
led him nearer to his Maker. 

But what is surprising, and almost inexplicable, there 
is danger of the same insinuating and infectious influ- 
ence attaching itself even to the spiritual gifts of God. 
It is an important fact, on whatever principles it may be 
explained, that the possession of holiness does not ex- 
clude the liability to an opposite state. Satan, when 
expelled from the heart, will endeavor to find the means 
of returning ; and nothing can prevent it but the closest 
and most constant circumspection, aided by the grace of 
God. " Watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation ! " 

A man, for instance, is endowed, through the opera- 



ON POSSESSING THE GIFTS OF GOD IN PURITY. 220 

tions of the Holy Spirit, with the invaluable grace of 
humility. He ascribes nothing to himself. He takes 
a low place, and he feels that he ought to take a low 
place, before God. But, before he is aware of it, unless 
he is constantly on his watch, self-love is secretly wind- 
ing itself about this ennobling Christian affection, and 
endeavoring to extract some personal merit out of it. 
There is a secret and almost imperceptible feeling, (for 
in this matter Satan is careful not to show himself too 
prominently,) not only that his humility is some evi- 
dence in his favor, but that his humility itself is worth 
something. 

Again, how often it is that the man, who possesses 
true Christian benevolence, is assailed in the same insid- 
ious way ! There is no question that he is truly benevo- 
lent, and benevolent too on the highest Christian prin- 
ciples ; but after a time he begins, almost unconsciously 
to himself, to poison this eminent Christian grace by an 
infusion of self-gratulation. Even the missionary of 
the Cross, as he toils beneath the frozen skies of 
Greenland, or amid the burning sands of Africa, finds 
the secret but deceptive suggestion springing up, he 
hardly knows whence or how, that his life of toil and suf- 
fering has some little merit, which he can call his oxen. 

And similar results may be noticed in other cases. 
The soul, charmed by some soothing and insidious whis- 
pers, begins to lull itself to rest, and to repose upon the 
couch of its own virtues, its humility, its gratitude, its 
inviolable veracity, its benevolence, or some other moral 
and Christian grace, instead of resting exclusively upon 
the merits of Christ, and ascribing its gifts and graces to 
the mere mercy of God. These views will apply essen- 
tially, among other things, to joyous states of mind 
The Scriptures abundantly assure us, that there is such 
a state of mind as holy joy. But true joy, " the joy of 
the Holy Ghost," flows up and refreshes the inward 
heart as a pure fountain, only so long as the soul is fixed 
upon God, as the centre of its thought and of its undi- 
vided affection. As soon as we begin to think how 
20 



230 ON THE NECESSITY OF POSSESSING THE GIFTS 

happy we are, and to dwell upon and to please ourselves 
with the thought, the joy itself becomes an offence, and 
diffuses a secret but destructive influence through the 
inward life. To be happy in our own happiness, instead 
of being happy in God, is to drink from a cistern of 
our own construction, "a broken cistern which can hold 
no water." And it is in connection with such views and 
facts, that Fenelon has very correctly said, that " the most 
eminent graces are the most deadly poisons, if we rest 
in them and regard them with complacency." " It is the 
sin," he adds, "■ of the fallen angels ; they only turned to 
themselves and regarded with complacency their state ; 
at that instant they fell from heaven, and became the 
enemies of God" 

It is exceedingly important, therefore, that all the 
Christian gifts and graces should be possessed in purity 
of spirit, uncontaminated by any unholy mixtures of an 
earthly nature. The mere suggestion, that they have 
merit of themselves and separate from the God who 
gives them, if it be received with the least complacency, 
necessarily inflicts a deep wound. They are accord- 
ingly held in purity of spirit, and with the divine ap- 
probation, only when their tendency is to separate the 
soul from every thing inward and outward, considered 
as objects of complacency and of spiritual rest, and to 
unite it more and more closely to God. In the language 
of the writer just now referred to, " we must sacrifice 
even the gifts of God ; " that is to say, we must cease to 
regard them and to take complacency in them, in them- 
selves considered, that we may have God himself. We 
do not find the parent, who has that degree of affection 
for his child which may be called entire or perfect love, 
making his love a distinct object of his thoughts, and 
rejoicing in it as such a distinct object ; that would not 
be the genuine operation of perfect love. If his love is 
perfect, he has no time and no disposition to think of 
any thing but the beloved object, towards which his affec- 
tions are directed His love is so deep, so pure, so fixed 
and centred upon one point, that the sight of self, and 



AND GRACES OF GOD IN PURITY OF SPIRIT. 231 

ol his own personal exercises, is lost. It ought to be 
thus in the feelings which we exercise towards God ; 
and undoubtedly such will be the result, when the reli- 
gious feeling has reached a certain degree of intensity ; 
that is to say, when the feeling is perfect, the mind is 
not occupied with the feeling itself, but with the object 
of the feeling. The heart, if we may so express it, 
seems to recede from us ; it certainly does so as an 
object of distinct contemplation ; and the object of its 
affections comes in and takes its place. O the blessed- 
ness of the heart, that, free from self and its secret and 
pernicious influences, sees nothing but God ; that recog- 
nizes, even in its highest gifts and graces, nothing but 
God ; that would rather be infinitely miserable with 
God, if it were possible, than infinitely happy with- 
out him ! 

In connection with these remarks, we are enabled to 
understand and appreciate the state of mind, which is 
described in some primitive writers on interior experi- 
ence, as a state of cessation from " reflex acts. 5 ' By re- 
flex acts, as we employ the phrase here, and as it 
appears to be employed by the writers referred to, we 
mean those acts of the mind, in which the soul turns 
inward upon itself, and, ceasing for a time to regard the 
mere will of God as the only good, takes a self-conscious 
satisfaction in its own exercises. Such acts, when they 
are indulged in, stand directly in the way of the high- 
est results of the religious life. On the other hand, he, 
who has entirely ceased to put forth acts of this kind, 
and loves God to the entire forgetfulness of self, losing 
sight even of his own exercises, in consequence of being 
fully occupied with an infinitely higher object, has 
reached the broad and calm position of spiritual rest, 
the region of inward and abiding peace — a region 
where there is no noisy clamor ; no outcries and contests 
of the passions; no contrivances of prejudice/ interest, 
and ambition; no rebellious sighing and tears of the 
natural spirit ; but all is hushed and lost in the one deep 
conviction that there is nothing good, nothing perma 



232 ON POSSESSING THt GIFTS OF GOD IN PURITY. 

nently true, nothing desirable, — no, not in heaven itself, 
— but pure and everlasting union with the will of God. 
Of such a soul it may be said eminently, that it holds the 
gifts of God in purity ; since it loses the distinct per- 
ception and knowledge of the gifts, in the consciousness 
of union with the Giver. 



Lord, thou hast won ; at length I yield 
My heart, by mighty grace compelled, 

Surrenders all to thee. 
Against thy terrors long I strove ; 
But who can stand against thy love^ 

Love conquers even me. 



233 



CHAPTER TWELFTH. 



REMARKS ON INTERIOR TRIALS AND DESOLATIONS 



It is perhaps a common opinion, that those who are 
greatly advanced in religion, and have experienced what 
may properly be regarded as the grace of present sanc- 
tification, are not very much tried and afflicted. They 
are supposed to possess not only an inheritance of con- 
stant peace, but of much joy. 

That a truly sanctified person is never in darkness, 
in one sense of the term, viz., condemnatory darkness, — 
in other words, that he never loses the grace of a con- 
fiding trust in God and of solid internal peace, which 
his Savior has given to him as his inheritance, — is un- 
doubtedly true. If there ever be an exception, — as, for 
instance, when the mental powers are depressed and 
darkened by the pressure of some physical disease, — yet 
such exceptions are probably few in number, are explain 
able on principles peculiar to themselves, and are not to 
be regarded as essentially affecting the general doctrine. 

But although those who are wholly devoted to God 
may be said always to have a solid and permanent peace, 
it is not true that they are exempt from heavy afflic- 
tions, both external and internal. On the contrary, there 
is some reason to believe, that those who love most 
will suffer most ; that those who are the strongest in the 
Lord will have the heaviest burden to bear. "In the 
world," says the Savior, " ye shall have tribulation." 
" For unto you it is given, in the behalf of Christ," says 
the apostle, in his Epistle to the Philippians, " not only 
to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake." It is 
important to understand this, to know that it is our lot 
20* 



234 REMARKS ON INTERIOR 

and our privilege to be partakers of Christ's sufferings, 
so that those who enter into the way of holy living — 
which is just what it is described to be, viz., a narrow 
xoay — may not be discouraged and overcome in the 
season of heavy trial. Satan will say to them, at such 
times, " Where now is your God ? " And it is exceeding- 
ly desirable that they should know how to answer him. 

First. It is reasonable to suppose that a holy soul, 
one that has experienced the richness of sanctifying 
grace, will oftentimes be much afflicted in consequence 
of not finding in others a spirit corresponding to its own. 
In the present state of the world, when practical holiness 
is but partially understood and still less realized, such a 
soul, although the social principle remains strong in it, is 
necessarily solitary to a considerable degree. How can 
it enter with spirit and eagerness into worldly conversa- 
tion ? How can it participate, with any degree of relish, 
in vain, worldly amusements and pleasures ? Such souls 
are sometimes borne down with the desire of imparting 
to others the spiritual tidings which God has inwardly 
communicated to them. But they find few, and perhaps 
none, that are ready and willing to hear them. And thus 
they sit alone in secret places, and shed in silence the 
solitary tear. 

Second. They are afflicted in view of the condition 
of the church. With all disposition to be grateful for 
what amount of piety there is, and also to make all due 
allowance for the deficiencies that exist, they perceive, 
and cannot help perceiving, that the church is, to a con- 
siderable extent, in bondage. They see very distinctly 
that she lives far below her duties and privileges — those 
duties and privileges to which her God calls her. It is 
their sympathy with the Divine Mind, as well as their 
sorrow for the church, which affects them. How can 
they possibly be without grief, in view of the insulted 
honor and the disregarded beneficence of the God whom 
they love ? Ar d if this were possible, — as it certainly 
cannot be, — how is it possible for them to refrain from 
weeping, when the church, for whom their bleeding 






TRIALS AND DESOLATIONS. 235 

Savior has purchased garments of light, voluntarily walk 
in sordid and defiled habiliments ? 

Third. They have feelings of deep compassion and 
sorrow for sinners, which others have not. We would 
not assert, that these feelings are always stronger than 
those of other persons ; but they appear to be more deep- 
ly rooted in the mind ; more thoroughly based upon 
principle ; more permanent and unchangeable. In view 
of the situation of sinners, they may even be said to have 
continual heaviness ; not a heaviness which is periodi- 
cal ; which goes and comes with a change of circum- 
stances ; but is, at least in a modified sense of the term, 
continual. There is this peculiarity, however, that their 
sorrow, however deep it may be, is always calm. While 
they think much of sinners, they think more of God. 
And they know that God will be glorified, though sin- 
ners are destroyed. This consideration imparts a tran- 
quillity of mind, which may sometimes be supposed to 
originate in absence of feeling. This calm, deep-rooted 
sorrow, in view of the danger of sinners and of the dis- 
honor which they put upon God, although, in accordance 
with the laws of the human mind, it has its alternations 
with other feelings, and is subject to occasional variations, 
may yet be said, with a high degree of truth, to be 
always with them. It is in this respect peculiarly that 
they may be said to sympathize with the blessed Savior 
in bearing the burden of the cross ; since there can be 
no doubt that it was on account of others, far more than 
his own, that he was afflicted in the world, was " a man 
of sorrows and acquainted with grief." 

Fourth. But this is not all. God sometimes sees fit 
to impose upon these, his beloved children, internal as 
well as external crosses. There seems to be almost a 
necessity for this. " The life, which they now live, they 
live by faith on the Son of God." The Christian life 
is truly and emphatically a life of faith. A life of faith 
is necessarily the opposite of a life of direct vision. And 
how can the principle of faith operate, much more how 
can it acquire strength, unless God shall at times with- 



236 REMARKS ON INTERIOR 

draw himself from the direct vision, arid leave the soul 
to its own obscurity? If a man, wishing to test the 
spirit of obedience in his son, commands the son to fol- 
low him in a certain direction, does he not render his 
own test unavailable, by taking him by the hand and 
dragging him along ? And so our heavenly Father, if 
he wishes to test and to strengthen our faith, must he 
not sometimes take us out of the region of openness and 
clearness of s ght, and place us in the midst of entangle- 
ments, uncertainties, and shadows ? What we need, 
what we must have, what is absolutely indispensable to 
our interior salvation, is faith j faith which gives the vic- 
tory ; faith strong, unwavering, adamantine. It was by 
want of faith that we fell ; it is by want of faith that we 
are kept in continual bondage ; and it is only by the res- 
toration of faith that we can sunder the chains that 
shackle us, and walk forth in spiritual freedom. But 
faith can never arise to that degree of invigoration, which 
our necessities so imperiously demand, while we are 
permitted to walk continually in the field of open vision 
and under the sunlight of present manifestations. Hence 
there seems to be a necessity, that he who has made 
us, and who loves us with an infinity of love, should 
nevertheless, sometimes wrap himself in the majesty of 
uncreated darkness, in order that we may learn the great 
lesson of following God without seeing him, and of 
appreciating his uttered word, his simple declaration, 
at the same value with his manifested realities and acts. 
It is here, then, that we find the secret reason, that 
God sees fit to leave to interior desolations and sorrows 
those who are truly his sanctified people. Hence it is 
that he not only shows us the vanities of the world and 
the desolations of the church, the present and prospective 
wretchedness of impenitent sinners, — a burden, without 
any thing else to enhance it, which is heavy to be borne, 
— but he also withdraws at times the light of present 
manifestations ; he withholds the comfort of inward sensi- 
ble joys ; he leaves the understanding, and even at times 
the affections, in a painful state of comparative inert 



TRIALS AND DESOLATIONS. 237 

ness and aridity; he permits Satan, in addition to these 
fearful evils, to assail us with his fiery darts, injecting 
into the intellect a multitude of unholy thoughts, and 
besieging us continually with sharp and varied temp- 
tations. But there still remains the blessed privilege of 
believing. We can still say, " Our expectation is from 
the Lord." We still have the privilege of declaring, 
even in the deep dejection and brokenness of our hearts, 
" Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him." 

Happy are they who endure these grievous trials 
without shrinking. Thrice happy, who, like soldiers in 
a severe contest, that have lost all but honor, can still 
assert, the enemy has not taken the standard with which 
they went into battle ; and that, in the loss of all things 
else, they still retain their confidence in God. Such 
souls are not only redeemed, but purified. They have 
passed the decisive test, the object of which is to ascer- 
tain whether they love God for himself or for his favors, 
and have not been found wanting. If there were dross 
upon them before, it has been burned off in this 
fiery trial. In the purification and strengthening of our 
faith, (that glorious principle which unites us to God, 
and which opens in the heart the full fountains of sub- 
mission, gratitude, and love,) we are recompensed, and 
more than recompensed, for the temporary loss of all 
outward goods and all interior consolations. Henceforth 
there is union between the soul and its Beloved. It 
has no more occasion to say, " My God, my God, why 
hast thou forsaken me ? " He returns with assurances, 
that wipe away present tears, and give the presage of 
future victories. God, in his condescension, permits 
himself to be conquered. Infinite Love is led captive. 



[In connection with the remarks of this chapter, we take the liberty 
to introduce to the reader some stanzas of Madame Guyon, translated 
into English by the poet Cowper, which seem in a happy manner to 
express the state of a soul which is temporarilr left to interior deso 
lations.] 



238 THE TRIAL OF CHRISTIAN FAITH. 



THE TRIAL OF CHRISTIAN FAITH. 



'Twas my purpose, on a day, 

To embark and sail away. 

As I climbed the vessel's side, 

Love was sporting in the tide. 

" Come," he said, " ascend ; make haste : 

Launch into the boundless waste." 

Many mariners were there, 
Having each his separate care ; 
They that rowed us held their eyes 
Fixed upon the starry skies ; 
Others steered, or turned the sails 
To receive the shifting gales. 

Love, with power divine supplied, 
Suddenly my courage tried. 
In a moment it was night ; 
Ship and skies were out of sight. 
On the briny wave I lay, 
Floating rushes all my stay. 

Did I with resentment burn 

At this unexpected turn ? 

Did I wish myself on shore, 

Never to forsake it more ? 

No : " My soul," — I cried, " be still, 

If I must be lost, I will." 

Next he hastened to convey 
Both my frail supports away ; 
Seized my rushes j bade the waves 
Yawn into a thousand graves. 
Down I went, and sank as lead, 
Ocean closing o'er my head. 

Still, however, life was safe J 

And I saw him turn and laugh. 

" Friend," cried he, " adieu ! lie low 

While the wintry storms shall blow ; 

"When the spring has calmed the main, 

You shall rise and float again." 

Soon I saw him, with dismay, 
Spread his wings and soar away. 
Now I mark his rapid flight ; 
Now he leaves my aching sight. 
He is gone whom I adore ' 
'Tis in vain to seek him more. 



THE TRIAL OF CHRISTIAN FAITH. 239 

How I trembled, then, and feared, 
When my Love had disappeared 1 
" Wilt thou leave me thus," I cried, 
' Whelmed beneath the rolling tide ? 
Vain attempt to reach his ear ! 
Love was gone, and would not hear. 

" Ah ! return, and love me still • 

See me subject to thy will. 

Frown with wrath, or smile with grace, 

Only let me see thy face, 

Evil I have none to fear ; 

All is good, if thou art near. 

" Yet he leaves me — cruel fate ! 
Leaves me in my lost estate. 
Have I sinned ? O, say wherein ; 
Tell me, and forgive my sin ! 
King and Lord, whom I adore, 
Shall I see thy face no more ? 

" Be not angry : I resign, 

Henceforth, all my will to thine. 

I consent that thou depart, 

Though thine absence break my heart ; 

Go, then, and forever too ! 

All is right that thou wilt do." 

This was just what Love intended j 
He was now no more offended. 
Soon as 1 became a child, 
Love returned to me and smiled. 
Never strife shall more betide 
'Twist the Bridegroom and his bride. 



240 



CHAPTER THIRTEENTH. 



OF THE NEW LIFE IN THE IMAGE OF CHRIST 



["Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Ola 
things are passed away : behold, all things are become new.' 
2 Cor. v. 17. " For even hereunto were ye called ; because Christ 
also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his 
steps." 1 Pet. ii. 21.] 



The old life perishes, in order that there may be a 
new creation in Christ. The deformity of the ancient 
nature passes away, and the image of Christ in the 
soul takes its place. And we can try and be assured 
of the truth of the resurrection from the death of sin, 
only by its likeness to the life of the Savior. It is a 
matter of great gratitude, therefore, that the gospel not 
only delineates holiness, which is but another name for 
the true inward life, by means of abstract statements, 
but represents it visibly and sensibly in the beautiful 
mirror of the Savior's personal history. This is a mir- 
ror which it is necessary for every Christian, and es- 
pecially for those who are earnestly seeking the entire 
saiictincation of the heart, to contemplate prayerfully 
and unceasingly. The more we study the life of Christ, 
if we do it with a consecrated and prayerful spirit, the 
more it is reasonable to suppose we shall be like him. 
And in proportion as we bear his likeness, will those 
various imperfections and inconsistencies which often 
mar the lives of his followers disappear. We propose, 
therefore, in the present chapter, to mention briefly 
some of the traits of character which are conspicuous 
in the life of our Savior, and which present themselves 
particularly to our notice and observation ; beginning 



OF THE NEW LIFE IN THE IMAGE OF CHRIST. 241 

vvith those which, in consequence of their close alliance 
with the constitution of human nature, seem to have a 
natural as well as a religious character. 

(I.) And accordingly we proceed to remark, in the 
first place, that the Savior, considered in his human 
nature, was a man of sympathy. And in making this 
remark, we mean to imply, that he was a man of sym- 
pathy on natural as well as on religious principles ; sym- 
pathetic as a man, as well as sympathetic as a religious 
man. And as such, it is very obvious, from the Scrip- 
tures, that he felt a deep interest in all those who are the 
proper objects both of natural and religious sympathy ; 
for the sick, for the poor, the ignorant, the tempted, 
the suffering of all classes and conditions. Although he 
loved religious retirement, and knew, more than any one 
else, the inestimable privilege of being alone with God, 
he felt deeply the claims of a common humanity ; and in 
obedience to those claims came forth, and lived, and suf- 
fered among men ; weeping with those who wept, and 
rejoicing with those who rejoiced. He gave no counte- 
nance to an exclusively solitary religion ; a religion 
which, under the name of meditation and prayer, shuts 
itself up in barren insulation, and has no deep and oper- 
ative sympathy with men. Where there were wounds 
to be healed, whether mentally or bodily ; where there 
were tears to be dried up ; whenever and wherever he 
could add to the amount of human happiness, or detract 
from the sum of human misery, he was present. 

He deeply sympathized with those who are the sub- 
jects of religious trials and duties, especially with the 
beginners in the divine life, with the weak ones and 
lambs of his flock. Accordingly, he adapted his instruc- 
tions to their capacity of understanding, and also to 
their present degree of advancement and strength of 
purpose. And hence it is that, on a certain occasion, 
after having made some communications to his disciples, 
he added, " I have yet many things to say unto you, 
but ye cannot bear them now." It is expressly said, in 
allusion to this interesting trait of his character, "° 
21 



242 OF THE NEW LIFE 

bruised reed he shall not break, and smoking flax he shall 
not quench." 

It is hardly necessary to add, that those who, in ex- 
periencing the inward restoration, have been raised anew 
in the image of Christ's likeness, will exhibit this in- 
teresting trait in a marked degree. There can be no 
such thing as a truly holy heart, which is destitute of a 
pure and deep sympathy. 

(II.) We may mention, in the second place, as a trait 
somewhat closely allied to that which has just been 
specified, that the Savior was susceptible of, and that he 
actually formed, to some extent, personal friendships 
and intimacies. It would be unreasonable to doubt, that 
he had a sincere affection — analogous probably in its 
nature to the filial and fraternal affections in other cases 
— to his mother, his reputed father, and his brethren and 
sisters after the flesh. Certainly, we have an evidence 
of this declaration in part, not only in the fact of his 
dwelling so long with them as he did, but in the cir- 
cumstance that, when he was suspended in the agonies 
of the cross, he commended his mother to the care of 
the disciple John. It would hardly be consistent with 
the doctrine of his humanity, and would certainly be at 
variance with the many developments of his life as the 
" Son of man," to suppose that he did not form a strong 
personal attachment to the little company, of his disci- 
ples. It is said expressly, in especial reference to his 
disciples, " having loved his own, which were in the 
world, he loved them to the end." It is also explicitly 
narrated, that he loved Mary, and Martha, and Lazarus, 
the favored family of Bethany, whom he often visited. 
The disciple John, in particular, is characterized as the 
disciple whom Jesus loved. As he was set before us as 
an example, that we should follow him, this interesting 
trait, which resulted in the formation of friendly and 
affectionate intimacies, is what we should naturally 
expect to find in him. And furthermore, as one who 
came to suffer as well as to act, as a "man of sorrows 
and acquainted with grief," had he not some need even 



IN THE IMAGE OF CHRIST. 243 

of human sympathy? And if this suggestion be well 
founded, where would he be disposed to look for the 
consolations, which even the sympathy of men is capa- 
ble of affording, except in the bosoms of those whom 
he loved peculiarly and confidentially? 

In connection with what has been said in relation to 
this interesting trait in the Savior, we may remark here, 
that nature teaches us (or rather the God of nature) that 
increased and special love, other things being equal, may 
properly flow in the channel of the domestic affections ; 
and also, that it is entirely consistent with holiness — and 
not only consistent, but a duty — to exercise special love 
towards those, whether we are naturally related to them 
or not, with whom we are intimately connected in life, 
and whose characters are truly lovely. 

As Christians, therefore, as those who have experienced, 
or who aim at experiencing, the sanctifying graces of the 
Spirit, we may regard ourselves as permitted, both on 
natural principles and in imitation of the Savior, to form 
such personal friendships and attachments as the provi- 
dence of God may favor and his holiness approve. Inti- 
macies and friendships, formed on purely worldly princi- 
ples, have no religious value, and are often positively evil. 
It is important, therefore, to remember, that all such 
friendships should be entirely subordinated, as they were 
in the case of the Savior, to the will of our heavenly 
Father. If, through the influence of the life of nature, 
they become inordinate, they are no better than any other 
idols. It is certain there is much in them that is amiable 
and pleasant, that they are authorized by the example of 
the Savior, and that they seem to be even necessary in 
our present situation ; but, like every thing else, they 
must receive the signature of the divine approbation, 
and must be sustained or abandoned at the call of reli- 
gious duty. 

(III.) A third remark is, that the Savior exhibited and 
valued intellectual culture. We do not perceive 
that he at any time showed a disposition to separate 
religion from rationality. Even in early youth lie ex 



244 OF THE NEW LIFE 

hibited a strong desire of knowledge. It is related of 
him, at the early period of twelve years of age, that he was 
found in the temple, sitting in the midst of the Jewish 
religious teachers, "both hearing them and asking them 
questions. And all that heard him were astonished at 
his understanding and answers." He knew very well 
that religion must have a basis in the perceptions ; and 
that its existence, without some degree of knowledge 
and reflection, is a natural impossibility. He knew, also, 
that religion cannot be spread abroad from heart to heart, 
so as to take root to any great extent, and become effec- 
tive in those who are ignorant of it, except by means of 
the truth. And accordingly, he improved his early oppor- 
tunities of knowing ; and while he grew in stature and 
in favor with God and with man, it is stated also that he 
" grew strong in spirit," and that "he increased in wis- 
dom." In particular, he seems to have nourished and 
strengthened himself intellectually by the faithful study 
of the divine lessons of the Old Testament. His repeated 
public instructions in the synagogues are a proof of his 
intimate knowledge of the Scriptures. In all his per- 
sonal and private intercourse, also, even on occasions 
which were calculated to agitate and afflict him, he was 
calmly deliberate, reflective, and argumentative. In his 
interviews with his disciples, in his conversations with 
publicans and sinners, in his controversies with the Phar- 
isees and Sadducees, and on all similar occasions, it is 
very evident that he acted, not by passion, but by sober 
judgment ; not by impulses, but in a truly reflective and 
rational manner ; meeting argument with argument ; 
opposing scripture to scripture, as one who knew how 
to wield the " sword of the Spirit ; " and subverting 
sophistry with the well-considered and appropriate re- 
sponses of truth. 

It is true, that his illustrations and manner varied with 
the circumstances and the occasion, and that he was at 
certain times more animated, pointed, and severe, than at 
others ; but he never did or said any thing which was 
at variance with sound judgment. I have sometimes 



IN THE IMAGE CF CHRIST. 245 

tnought, that persons of nighty conceptions and vigorous 
enthusiasm would regard the Savior, if he were now on 
the earth, as too calm and gentle, as too thoughtful and 
intellectual, as too free from impulsive and excited agi- 
tations, to be reckoned with those who are often con- 
sidered the most advanced in religion. He never per- 
formed the feat of Simeon Stylites, who, from mistaken 
religious motives, spent years on the top of a pillar of 
stone ; nor was he violently whirled round like a top, as 
is related of some persons who have been the subjects 
of religious excitement ; nor did he experience the other 
bodily and convulsive agitations, which in some instances 
have characterized the religious movements of modern 
times, and have sometimes been mistaken for religion 
itself. In violation of the proud anticipations of the Jews, 
and in conformity with what might be expected from a 
Being endued with the highest rationality, he appeared 
as a plain, unobtrusive, and reflective man ; coming 
and acting like the " kingdom of God" itself, essentially 
"without observation;" and attracting notice, so far as 
he did so, by pure and sober piety only, by the beauty 
of virtue sustained and characterized by the strength of 
deliberation and wisdom, and not by being the subject 
or the agent of eccentricities. 

In making these remarks, we do not mean to imply 
that the Savior was without feeling. His sympathy 
with the sick and the poor, his personal attachments, 
his earnest desire for the salvation of sinners, his denun- 
ciations of hardened transgressors, all show that he was 
susceptible of deep feeling. But what we mean to say 
is, that he did not undervalue knowledge and truth; 
but, on the contrary, he estimated them highly, and, 
under the teachings of the Holy Spirit, made them, as it 
were, the basis of the inward life. And I think we may 
properly add here, as in accordance with what has been 
said, that no feeling, that no contrition or sorrow, and no 
other form of feeling whatever, does or can possess any 
religious value in the sight of God, except so far as it has 
its origin in perception and knowledge. 
21* 



246 OF THE NEW LIFE 

(IV.) Passing now from what may be deemed his 
natural to his purely religious traits, we remark, in the 
fourth place, that the life of the Savior was characterized 
by the spirit of entire consecration. The idea of con- 
secration seems to be much the same with that of self- 
renunciation ; with this difference only, that he who is 
the subject of consecration has not only renounced 
himself, but has done it in favor of some other object, or 
some other being. Accordingly, he who, in renouncing 
himself, has renounced all his own private desires, pur- 
poses, and aims, and has surrendered his will, which, in 
some sense, constitutes himself, into the keeping of the 
divine will, is emphatically a person consecrated to the 
divine will ; or, what is the same thing, he is a person 
consecrated to God. Now, it is very evident that the 
Savior, considered in his humanity, and as a messenger 
of God here in the world, had no will of his own. If 
he cannot be said, properly speaking, to have renounced 
his will, it is because he never possessed a will which 
operated at variance with the infinite and divine will. 
It was not on his own account that he came into the 
world. " Wist ye not," he says on a certain occasion, 
"that I must be about my Father's business?" "I 
came down from heaven," he says in another place, "not 
to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me." 
John vi. 38. And again he says, "My meat is to do 
the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work." 
John iv. 34 There are many other passages of a sim- 
ilar import. And the whole history of his life, which is 
unstained by any selfish and personal purpose, consti- 
tutes a confirmation of them. He could say, " I and my 
Father are one," because his whole soul lay, as it were, 
upon the divine altar ; set apart both to do and to suffer 
his Father's will ; " brought as a lamb to the slaughter ; " 
" slain from the foundation of the world ; " " offered up to 
bear the sins of many."' 

It is the same spirit of devout and entire consecration 
which is the abiding, and, in its results, the victorious 
element of the religious life in all his followers. And 



IN THE IMAGE OF CHRIST. 247 

it is so, because, by the alienation of self, it puts them 
in a situation where they can take hold of the divine 
power by faith. Those who have made such consecra- 
tion feel that they have no longer any thing which 
they can call their own. In every thing which concerns 
their personal desires and interests, in every thing 
which is at variance with the divine purposes, they are 
nailed to the cross. And hence, in the want of all 
things in themselves, they have the possession of all 
things in God. 

(V.) Again, the Savior, considered as a man, lived 
by simple faith. A life of faith is almost necessarily 
implied in a state of entire self-renunciation. It does 
not easily appear how a person who, in the spirit of 
self-renunciation, has placed himself in the hands and 
under the direction of another, can live spiritually in 
any other way than by means of faith. There is noth- 
ing left him but simple trust. To renounce ourselves 
entirely, and not to repose trust in another, would soon 
be followed by a state of despair. So that we may re- 
gard it as the natural order of religious sequence, that 
the principle of faith, which is life in another, should 
take the place of the extinct principle of life in our- 
selves. The memorable statement, therefore, that "the 
just shall live by faith," was as applicable to the Savior 
as to any other holy being. The whole history of the 
intercourse which took place, in his state of humiliation, 
between him and his Father, is a confirmation of this 
position, and declares emphatically that he never 
doubted. " Man shall not live by bread alone," he said 
to the tempter, " but by every word that proceedeth out 
of the mouth of God" He said to the Jews, on a cer- 
tain occasion, " I am not come of myself, but he that 
sent me is true." This single expression carries with 
it important meaning. It was the truth of God, his firm 
and unchanging faithfulness, upon which his soul rested, 
as upon an everlasting rock. He assures us, that " with- 
out his Father he could do nothing " — a declaration 
which seems necessarily to imply the existence of unwa- 



248 OF THE NEW LIFE 

vering confidence in the Being who was the present and 
the only source of his power. There can be no doubt, 
therefore, that the direction which he gave to his disci- 
ples he was willing to apply, in its full import, to himself: 
•' Have faith in God." In his prayer at the grave of 
Lazarus, he said, "Father, 1 thank thee, that thou hast 
heard me. And I knew, [that is to say, had entire con- 
fidence, unwavering faith,] that thou hearest me always." 
Faith sustained him in trial as well as in duty j in the 
depths of affliction as well as in the active labors of his 
ministry. Even in the agonies of the cross, when every 
possible sorrow was inflicted, and every other consolation 
was taken away, he was supported by its mighty power 
alone. 

And in connection with this view, we are not to be 
surprised that we find the Savior so often and so earn- 
estly urging upon his followers the necessity of living 
in the same manner. He taught them, in various ways 
and at various times, that faith was the source of their 
inward life and power, and that by it they could over- 
come all difficulties, " removing even mountains." Dis- 
countenancing every other mode of living, he decidedly 
rebuked the disposition, originating in unbelief, to seek 
a sign, (that is to say, a striking and confirmatory man- 
ifestation of some kind,) in addition to and in support 
of the simple declaration of God. " An evil and adul- 
terous generation," he says, " seeketh after a sign." 

(VI.) We proceed to observe, in the sixth place, that 
the Savior was a man of prayer. We have already 
had occasion to notice his declaration, that " without 
his Father he could do nothing." And as if in practi- 
cal recognition and manifestation of his entire personal 
dependence, we find him often kneeling in supplication, 
and drawing divine strength from the Everlasting Foun- 
tain. As God, he had all power. As man, (the aspect 
in which we are now contemplating him,) he had no 
power which he did not receive from his heavenly 
Father ; and if there was ever any instance of " living 
by the moment," (which seems to us the true way of 



IN THE IMAGE OF CHRIST. 249 

Christian living, and which obviously implies praying 
by the moment,) we find it undoubtedly in the life 
of Jesus Christ. He may be said, therefore, with a 
great deal of truth, to have been praying all the time. 
Certainly, he was always m the spirit of prayer ; but, 
besides this spirit of continual intercourse with God, 
which was as natural to him as the breath which he 
breathed, he had especial seasons of supplication, when 
he went apart from men, and poured forth his soul in 
private. 

11 Cold mountains, and the midnight air, 
Witnessed the fervor of his prayer." 

If even the Savior could do nothing without his 
Father, — if prayer was as necessary to his spiritual sup- 
port as the very air he breathed was to the support of 
his body, — let no one suppose that he can sustain the 
grace of a truly regenerated and sanctified heart, with- 
out possessing a like prayerful spirit. 

(VII.) Our next remark is this: The Savior was 
conscientious and strictly faithful in whatever his Father 
committed into his hands to do. He lived for others ; 
and in living for others, he made no secret reservation 
that he would in some things consult his own interest. 
In the language of Scripture, "He pleased not him- 
self." In the various companies in which he mingled, 
he never forgot the great mission on which he came. 
He was a man of labor as well as of faith ; and showed, 
in his whole life, that action is the result of believing. 
It has been remarked of him, that if he had not had 
something to say to Simon, he probably would not have 
been found seated at Simon's table; and that "there 
is not an instance of his having sat at meat with sinners, 
without reproving their iniquities ; or sharing the hospi- 
tality of unbelievers, without forcing them to listen to 
his words." He felt it his duty to leave nothing 
undone which ought to be done. And he did it delib- 
erately, thoroughly, unremittingly. His whole being, 
in all its innate power and all its outward efforts, was 
devoted to the one great work of doing his Father's will 



250 OF THE NEW LIFE 

No personal inconvenience, no opposition and threats of 
men, no pressure of personal and temporary interest, nor 
any other obstacles, of whatever nature, had the effect 
to deter him from doing his duty, and his whole duty, 
to God and to men. " I find it impossible," says David 
Brainerd, " to enjoy peace and tranquillity of mind, 
without a careful improvement of time. This is really 
an imitation of God and Christ Jesus. ' My Father 
worketh hitherto, and I work,' says our Lord. If we 
would be like God, we must see that we fill up our 
time for him.' 1 

(VIII.) We observe, in the eighth place, although the 
Savior was faithful and diligent in the work committed 
to his hands, he was not prematurely zealous and obtru- 
sive. He realized that every thing, when done in ac- 
cordance with the will of his heavenly Father, (a will 
which can never be at variance with the highest ration- 
ality,) must necessarily have its right time and place. 
In repeated instances, when something was proposed to 
him to be done, he declined acting in the case, on the 
ground that the proper occasion of action had not yet 
arrived. "His hour had not yet come." He felt that 
he must act in accordance with the will of his heavenly 
Father, not only in the thing to be done, but also in 
the time and manner of doing it. Although, considered 
as a mere man, he possessed powers of judgment vastly 
greater than fall to the lot of ordinary men, and enjoyed 
also the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit " with- 
out measure," he nevertheless felt it to be consistent 
with the highest duty to nourish his powers and virtues 
in retirement, and not to bear his message, important 
and urgent as it was, prematurely to the world. 

" Of the three-and-thirty years," says a certain writer, 
" which our blessed Redeemer spent on earth, thirty 
were spent in the obscurity and abjection of a private 
and humble condition. Notwithstanding the zeal for 
the glory of his Father, and the salvation of men, which 
consumed his soul ; notwithstanding the tide of disor- 
der which overran the world, and the abomination of sin 



IN THE IMAGE OF CHRIST. 251 

and scandal which pierced his heart, the eternal incar- 
nate Wisdom was silent, was hidden, and so remained 
until the hour appointed by his Father had come ; re- 
pulsing, even with apparent severity, the prayer of his 
mother according to the flesh, because it seemed to urge 
his anticipating that hour." * 

This trait in the Savior's character is, in a practical 
\iew, very important. It is probably through a disre- 
gard, in part at least, of the course taken by the Sa- 
vior, which has now been mentioned, that we find, in 
all denominations of Christians, melancholy instances 
of persons, who are young in the Christian life, or who 
are prompted by an undue confidence, exhibiting a dis- 
position to enter prematurely, and sometimes violently, 
upon measures which are at variance with the results 
of former experience, and with the admonitions of an- 
cient piety. All mistakes and erroneous proceedings of 
this kind are discountenanced by the example of our 
Savior, who quietly remained in solitude and silence, 
and was refreshed and strengthened with the interior 
dews of heavenly knowledge, till the great hour ar- 
rived, appointed in the wisdom of his heavenly Father, 
which called him forth to the ministry and the cross. 

(IX.) In another particular, also, is the Savior's char- 
acter deserving of our notice. He exhibited, in his 
daily deportment, a very meek, humble, and quiet dis- 
position of mind. Every attentive reader of the Gos- 
pels will recollect that this interesting and beautiful 
trait shows itself, in his personal history, in a very re- 
markable manner. He said of himself, " I am meek 
and lowly of heart." In the language of the apostle 
Peter, "When he was reviled, he reviled not again; 
when he suffered, he threatened not ; but committed 
himself to him who judgeth righteously." It was said 
of him prophetically, and before his advent into the 
world, " He was oppressed and afflicted ; yet he opened 
not his mouth." Isa. liii. 7. And again, in the same 
prophet, " He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his 

* Interior Peace of Pere Lombez, p \2 l .) 



252 OF THE NEW LIFE 

voice to be heard in the streets." Isa. xlii. 3. At a cer- 
tain time, when there was a disposition among some of 
his disciples to put forth personal pretensions, and to 
claim the preeminence over others, he remarked to them, 
" Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your 
servant ; even as the Son of man came, not to be min- 
istered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ran- 
som for many." Matt. xx. 28. But it is hardly neces- 
sary to make particular references, when his whole life, 
in all the varieties of its situation, was a beautiful illus- 
tration of this divine trait. He had compassion upon 
the ignorant ; he made his dwelling with the poor : he 
travelled on foot from place to place in weariness and 
sorrow ; he sat at meat with publicans and sinners ; he 
washed the feet of his disciples. In the possession of 
the inestimable trait of meekness and quietness of spirit, 
let all, who seek the highest degree of purification and 
sanctification of heart, be imitators of the example of 
Jesus Christ ; who, in the language of the apostle Paul, 
" made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the 
form of a servant." Philip, ii. 7. Whatever pretensions 
any of us might justly put forth as natural men or as 
men of the world, or, in other words, whatever we 
might justly claim from the world on the world's prin- 
ciples, we should, nevertheless, be willing, in imitation 
of the blessed Savior's example, to be made of no rep- 
utation, and to become the servants of our brethren. 

(X.) Another interesting trait in the history and char- 
acter of the Savior is, that his inward life was constant- 
ly inspired and directed by the presence and operations 
of the Holy Ghost. From the beginning to the end of 
his earthly course, in all the various circumstances in 
which he was placed, he was the subject of the special 
influences of divine grace. With a consciousness that 
all things were in his power, and with a prompt and 
consecrated readiness to act and to suffer continually, he 
felt, at the same time, entirely dependent ; and it never 
occurred to him that he had any thing, or that he could 
do any thing, out of God. From God, operating by his 



IN THE IMAGE OF CHRIST. 253 

Holy Spirit in his heart, he received all wisdom, all 
strength. " Behold my servant, whom I uphold ; mine 
elect, in whom my soul delighteth. / have put my 
Spirit upon him." Isa. xlii. 1. In accordance with this 
prophetic annunciation, John the Baptist is said to have 
seen the " Spirit of God descending like a dove, and 
lighting upon him." In the interesting events which 
occurred immediately after his baptism, it is not said of 
him, that he went up into the wilderness of his own 
accord and of his own will, but that he was " full of 
the Holy Ghost, and was led by the Spirit." On one 
occasion, when he went into the synagogue of Nazareth 
on the Sabbath day, he opened the Scriptures, and read 
where it is written, " The Spirit of the Lord is upon 
me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel 
to the poor." " He whom God hath sent," says the 
Savior, referring to himself, " speaketh the words of 
God ; for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto 
him." 

We need not multiply testimonies to this effect. We 
every where find evidence that the life of the Savior, 
in the spiritual sense of the terms, was derived from the 
life of God. The branch does not more surely derive 
its existence and support from the vine, than the Savior 
derived his inward existence from God. Nor is the 
branch more closely united to the vine, than he was 
united to his heavenly Father. "I and my Father," 
he says, "are one." 

It will be noticed that, in designating some of the 
traits of the Savior's character, we have not paid much 
attention to order of arrangement. Perhaps it was not 
necessary that we should. Nor do we profess to have 
exhausted the subject, and to have mentioned every 
possible trait of excellency which his character presents. 
Hoping, however, that enough has been said to secure 
the favorable and prayerful interest of the reader, we 
leave it, important and attractive as it is, with a single 
remark further, viz., that the life of the Savior, wheth- 
er considered inwardly or outwardly, was characterized 
22 



254 OF THE NEW LIFE 

by a proportionate fitness or symmetry in all its parts. 
It cannot be said of the Savior, as he existed in his 
humanity, that he was a mere combination of peculiari- 
ties j a man wonderful, not by the excellences, but by 
the eccentricities, of his nature : exciting attention 
merely by his strange unlikeness to every thing which 
could properly be expected in a man. On the contrary, 
every thing was perfect and appropriate in its position, 
as well as perfect in its own nature. All the remarka- 
ble qualities which, as separate elements, contributed 
to the constitution of his perfect character, were blended 
together in beautiful harmony. He stands before us 
complete in the adaptation of the parts of his character, 
as well as complete in the parts themselves ; complete, 
therefore, as a whole and generically, as well as com- 
plete separately and specifically. As nothing can be 
added to the amount of his excellences, so it does not 
appear that any thing can be improved in their relative 
adjustment, in their beautiful and perfect proportion. 
This is the man Christ Jesus, who is set before us as 
an example ; who " was tempted in all points as we are, 
and yet without sin." 

(1.) In view of what has been said, a few remarks 
may properly be made. And the first is, that the life 
of Christ, or rather the religious life as manifested in 
Christ, is entirely different in its character from the life 
of nature. In the life of nature, which is unprotected 
and unrestrained by the conservative principle of supreme 
love to God, every thing runs to excess. That which 
is good in itself becomes vitiated in its inordinate ac- 
tion. Sympathy assumes the shape of querulous weak- 
ness. Friendships are stimulated by a secret selfish 
influence, till they become idolatry. The love of knowl- 
edge distorts itself into obstinacy of opinion and pride 
of intellect. An allowable and holy displeasure degen- 
erates into the violence of natural anger and revenge. 
Even a desire to do good is often perverted, through a 
selfish impetuosity, by an injurious and fatal disregard 
to the proprieties of time, person, and place. 



IN THE IMAGE OF CHRIST. 255 

In those who are but partially sanctified, as well as in 

hose who are wholly dead in their sins, the natural life, 

in itself considered, and just so far as it has an existence 

at all, is always weak, selfish, inconsistent, passionate 

changeable. 

The life of Christ in the soul, or, what is the same 
thing, the life of the soul modelled after the image of 
Christ, is entirely different. Its sympathy is restrained 
and regulated by the suggestions of reason. Its per- 
sonal friendships are rendered pure by the exclusion ot 
all idolatrous regard. Its love is unstained by selfish- 
ness, and its indignation is hallowed by love. In the 
natural life, every thing is vitiated either by excess or 
defect. In the life of Christ, every thing is correspond- 
ent to the truth of reason and the commandment of 
God. 

(2.) In particular, the life of Christ in the soul is dis- 
tinguished from the natural life, in being characterized 
by great simplicity. It is a common idea, that those 
who have been the subjects of the interior transforma- 
ion have experienced something which is very remark- 
able. And undoubtedly it is so. There is truth in the 
dea, but probably not in the sense in which the world 
mderstand the term. The coming of Christ in the soul 
remarkable, in the same sense in which the manner 
of Christ's entrance into the world was remarkable. It 
vas certainly remarkable that the Son of God, the " ex- 
cess image of the Father," should become the "babe 
)f Bethlehem," the child of the humble Mary. And 
hus the new spiritual life, when it exists in truth, is not 
he offspring of earthly royalty, that is heralded by the 
nuzzas of the multitude, but rather the " infant in the 
manger," that is born in obscurity, and is known and 
honored only by the lowly in heart. It is a life so far 
from any thing that is calculated to attract attention in 
the worldly sense, that it is known and characterized in 
no one particular more than by what we have denomi- 
nated its simplicity; by its being, in the language of the 



256 OF THE NEW LIFE 

Savior, like a " little child ; " by its freedom from osten- 
tation and noisy pretension ; by its inward nothingness. 

(3.) Another and the only remaining remark is this: 
It is evident that the life of Christ, when examined in 
its elements, was sustained on the two great principles 
which have been so often mentioned, viz., of entire con- 
secration and of perfect faith. It is very true, that these 
two principles, as we have already seen, did not consti- 
tute the whple of his inward life ; but it cannot be 
doubted that they formed the essential basis of it. 
They were its fundamental elements — the strong pil- 
lars on which it rested. In other words, the Savior, in 
the true spirit of consecration, appeared in the world, 
not for himself and his own pleasure, but for the sim- 
ple purpose of doing and suffering the will of his heav- 
enly Father. And, in the fulfilment of this object, he 
lived, as all his followers ought to live, by the sublime 
principle of faith, and not by the inferior guidance of 
open vision ; so that his life, to express its great outlines 
in a single word, was a life united to God by its disrup- 
tion from every thing else ; or, in still other expressions, 
it was a life so united to God, that it saw, knew, and 
loved, every thing else, including himself, in its relation 
to the Divine Mind — in and for God, and God alone. 
Happy are they, the features of whose inward existence 
are framed and fashioned upon this divine model ! 

We do not doubt that the inward religious experience, 
in different individuals, may receive some modification, 
more or less, from the natural character. It will appear 
differently in John the Baptist and John the Disciple ; 
it will appear differently in Stephen, in Peter, in Paul. 
But the difference will exist in the modifications, and 
not in the essence, of the thing ; in that which is out- 
ward and incidental, rather than in that which is inter- 
nal and substantial. But, in all cases of true holiness, 
without exception, there must be, and there is, the im- 
age of Christ at the bottom. In all cases in which the 
work of God is :arried to its completion, the soul has 



IN THE IMAGE OF CHRIST. 257 

become an " infant Jesus ; " and, like its prototype, the 
Jesus of Nazareth and the cross, it will grow in " wis- 
dom, and in stature, and in favor with God and with 
man." 

Such Christians and such Christianity will have an 
effect upon the world. Those who are formed upon 
this divine model not only have a noble lineage, but 
they bear in themselves the impress and the inscription 
of a true nobility. They are the tree, mentioned by 
the Psalmist, which is "planted by the rivers of water; " 
not stinted and dwarfish, as too many are who bear the 
name of Christ ; not smitten with rust and eaten with 
the worm, — but sound alike in the body, the blossom, 
and the fruit ; not crooked, knotted, and unsymmetrical, 
but free, expansive, and proportional. Wherever they 
go, the world recognizes their character without the 
requisite of a formal proclamation. The image of 
Jesus, the divinity of the heart, is so written upon the 
whole outward life, that they are an "epistle, known 
and read of all men." 
22 # 



258 



CHAPTER FOURTEENTH. 



ON THE TRUE IDEA OF SPIRITUAL LIBERTY. 



It has probably come within the observation of many 
persons, that there is a form or modification of religious 
experience, which is denominated " Liberty." Hence, 
in common religious parlance, it is not unfrequently the 
case that we hear of persons being " in the liberty," or 
in the "true liberty." These expressions undoubtedly 
indicate an important religious truth, which has not al- 
together escaped the notice of writers on the religious 
life. The account which is given by Francis de Sales 
of " liberty of spirit " is, that ■ i it consists in keeping 
the heart totally disengaged from every created thing, 
in order that it may follow the known will of God?'' 

To this statement of De Sales, considered as a gen- 
eral and somewhat indefinite statement, we do not find 
it necessary to object. Certain it is, that he who is in 
the "true liberty" is "disengaged," and has escaped, 
from the enslaving influence of the world. God has 
become to him an inward, operative principle, without 
whom he feels he can do nothing, and in connection 
with whose blessed assistance he has an inward con- 
sciousness that the world and its lusts have lost their 
inthralling power. Liberty — considered in this gen- 
eral sense of the term — is to be regarded as expressive 
of one of the highest and most excellent forms of 
Christian experience. And we may add, further, that 
none truly enjoy it in this high sense but those who 
are in a state of mind, which may with propriety be 
denominated a holy or sanctified state ; none but those 
>vhom God has made "free indeed." We proceed now 



TRUE IDEA OF SPIRITUAL LIBERTY. 259 

to mention some of the marks by which the condition 
or state of true spiritual liberty is characterized. Nor 
does there seem to be much difficulty in doing this, 
because liberty is the opposite of inthralment ; and be- 
cause it is easy, as a general thing, to understand and 
to specify the things by which we are most apt to be 
inthralled. 

(1.) The person who is in the enjoyment of true 
spiritual liberty is no longer inthralled to the lower 
or appetitive part of his nature. Whether he eats or 
drinks, or whatever other appetite may claim its appro- 
priate exercise, he can say in truth that he does all to 
the glory of God. It is to be lamented — but is, nev^ 
ertheless, true — that there are many persons of a 
reputable Christian standing, who are subject, in a 
greater or less degree, to a very injurious tyranny frorn^ 
this source. But this is not the case with those who/ 
are in the possession of inward liberty. Their souls 
have entered into the pleasures of divine rest ; and 
they can truly say they are dead to all appetites, except 
so far as they operate to fulfil the original and wise, 
intentions of the Being who implanted them. 

(2.) The person who is in the enjoyment of true 
spiritual liberty is no longer inthralled by certain de- 
sires of a higher character than the appetites — such as 
the desire of society, the desire of knowledge, the 
desire of the world's esteem, and the like. These 
principles, which, in order to distinguish them from the 
appetites, may conveniently be designated as the pro- 
pensities, or propensive principles, operate in the man 
of true inward liberty as they were designed to operate, 
but never with the power to enslave. He desires, for 
instance, to go into society, and, in compliance with 
the suggestions of the social principle, to spend a por- 
tion of time in social intercourse ; but he finds it en- 
tirely easy, although the desire, in itself considered, 
may be somewhat marked and strong, to keep it in 
strict subordination to his great purpose of doing every 
thing for the glory of God. Or, perhaps, under the 



260 ON THE TRUE IDEA 

influence of another propensive tendency, — that ot 
the principle of curiosity, — he desires to read a book 
of much interest, which some individual has placed 
before him ; but he finds it entirely within his power, as 
in the other case, to check his desire, and to keep it in 
its proper place. In neither of these instances, nor in 
others like them, is iie borne down, as we often per- 
ceive to be the case, by an almost uncontrollable tend- 
ency of mind. The desire, as soon as it begins to 
exist, is at once brought to the true test. The ques- 
tion at once arises, Is the desire of spending my time in 
this way conformable to the will of God ? And if it is 
found, or suspected, to be at variance with the divine 
will, it is dismissed at once. The mind is conscious of 
an inward strength, which enables it to set at defiance 
all enslaving tendencies of this nature. 

(3.) A man who is in the enjoyment of true religious 
liberty will not be inthralled by inordinate domestic 01 
patriotic affections, however ennobling they may be 
thought to be — such as the love of parents and children, 
the love of friends and country. It is true that spiritual 
liberty does not exclude the exercise of these affections 

— which are, in many respects, generous and elevated 

— any more than it condemns and excludes the exist- 
ence and exercise of the lower appetites and propensi- 
ties. It pronounces its condemnation and exclusion 
upon a certain degree of them, or a certain intensity of 
power. When they are so strong as to become perplex- 
ities and entanglements in the path of duty, then they 
are evidently inconsistent with the existence of true 
spiritual freedom, and in that shape, and in that degree, 
necessarily come under condemnation. I have, for in- 
stance, a very near and dear friend, who is exceedingly 
worthy of my affections ; but if my love to him leads 
me — perhaps almost involuntarily — to seek his com- 
pany when my duty to my God and my fellow-men 
calls me in another direction, and if I find it diffi- 
cult to subdue and regulate this disposition of mind, it 
is evident that I am not in the purest and highest state 



OF SPIRITUAL LIBERTY. 261 

of internal liberty. I have wrongly given to a creature 
something which belongs to God alone. 

(4.) When we are wrongly under the influence of 
disinclinations and aversions, we cannot be said to be 
in internal liberty. Sometimes, when God very obvi- 
ously calls us to the discharge of duty, we are inter- 
nally conscious of a great degree of backwardness. 
We do it, it is true ; but we feel that we do not like to 
do it. There are certain duties which we owe to the 
poor and degraded, to the openly profane and impure, 
which are oftentimes repugnant to persons of certain 
refined mental habits ; but if we find that these refined 
repugnances, which come in the way of duty, have 
great power over us, we are not in the true liberty. 
We have not that strength in God, which enables us to 
act vigorously and freely. Sometimes we have an 
aversion to an individual, the origin of which we can- 
not easily account for ; there is something unpleasant 
to us, and perhaps unreasonably so, in his countenance, 
his manners, or his person. If this aversion interferes 
with, and prevents, the prompt and full discharge of the 
duty which, as a friend and a Christian, we owe to him, 
then we have reason to think that we have not reached 
that state of holy and unrestrained flexibility of mind 
which the true idea of spiritual liberty implies. 

(5.) The person is not in the enjoyment of true 
liberty of spirit, who is wanting in the disposition of 
accommodation to others in things which are not of 
especial importance. And this is the case when we 
needlessly insist upon having every thing done in our 
own time and manner ; when we are troubled about 
little things, which are in themselves indifferent, and 
think, perhaps, more of the position of a chair than of 
the salvation of a soul ; when we find a difficulty in 
making allowance for the constitutional differences, in 
others, which it may not be either easy or important for 
them to correct ; when we fird ourselves disgusted be- 
cause another does not express himself in entire accord- 
ance with our print." ries of taste; or when we are 



262 ON THE TRUE IDEA 

displeased and dissatisfied with his religious, or other 
performances, although we know he does the best he 
can. All these things, and many others like them, give 
evidence of a mind that has not entered into the broad 
and untrammelled domain of spiritual freedom. 

We may properly add here, that the fault-finder — 
especially one who is in the confirmed habit of fault- 
finding — is not a man of a free spirit. Accordingly, 
those who are often complaining of their minister, of 
the brethren of the church, of the time and manner of 
the ordinances, and of many other persons and things, 
will find, on a careful examination, that they are too 
full of self, too strongly moved by their personal views 
and interests, to know the true and full import of that 
ennobling liberty which the Savior gives to his truly 
sanctified ones. 

(6.) The person who is disturbed and impatient 
when events fall out differently from what he expected 
and anticipated is not in the enjoyment of true spiritual 
freedom. In accordance with the great idea of God's 
perfect sovereignty, the man of a religiously free spirit 
regards all events which take place — sin only except- 
ed — as an expression, under the existing circum- 
stances, of the will of God. And such is his unity 
with the divine will, that there is an immediate acqui- 
escence in the event, whatever may be its nature, and 
however afflicting in its personal bearings. His mind 
has acquired, as it were, a divine flexibility, in virtue 
of which it accommodates itself, with surprising ease 
and readiness, to all the developments of Providence, 
whether prosperous or adverse. 

(7.) Those who are in the enjoyment of true liberty 
are patient under interior temptations, and all inward 
trials of mind. They can bless the hand that smites 
them internally as well as externally. Knowing that 
all good exercises are from the Holy Spirit, they have 
no disposition to prescribe to God what the particular 
nature of those exercises shall be. If God sees fit to 
try, and to strengthen, their s it of submission and 



OF SPIRITUAL LIBERTY. 263 

patience by bringing them into a state of great heavi 
ness and sorrow, either by subjecting them to severe 
temptations from the adversary of souls, or by laying 
upon them the burden of deep grief for an impenitent 
world, or in any other way, they feel it to be all right 
and well. They ask for their daily bread spiritually, as 
well as temporally ; and they cheerfully receive what 
God sees fit to send them. 

(8.) The person who enjoys true liberty of spirit is 
the most deliberate and cautious in doing what he is 
most desirous to do. This arises from the fact that he 
is very much afraid of being out of the line of God's 
will and order. He distrusts, and examines closely, all 
strong desires and strong feelings generally, especially if 
they agitate his mind and render it somewhat uncontrol- 
lable ; — not merely or chiefly because the feelings are 
strong; that is not the reason ; but because there is rea- 
son to fear, from the very fact of their strength and 
agitating tendency, that some of nature's fire, which true 
sanctification quenches and destroys, has mingled in 
with the holy and peaceable flame of divine love. John 
the Baptist, no doubt, had a strong natural desire to be 
near Jesus Christ while he was here on earth, to hear 
his divine words, to enjoy personally his company ; but 
in the ennobling liberty of spirit which the Holy Ghost 
gave him, he was enabled to overrule and suppress this 
desire, and to remain alone in the solitary places of the 
wilderness. 

(9.) He who is in true liberty of spirit is not easily 
excited by opposition. The power of grace gives him 
.11 ward strength ; and it is the nature of true strength to 
be deliberate. Accordingly, when his views are contro- 
verted, he is not hasty to reply. He is not indifferent : 
but he replies calmly and thoughtfully. He has confi- 
dence in the truth, because he has confidence in God. 
" God is true ; " and being what he is, God can have no 
fellowship with that which is the opposite of truth. He 
knows that, if his own sentiments are not correct, they 
will pass away in due time; because every thing which 



264 ON THE TRUE IDEA 

is false necessarily carries in itself the element of its own 
destruction. He knows too that, if the sentiments of 
his adversaries are false, they bear no stamp of durability. 
God is arrayed against them ; and they must sooner or 
later fall. Hence it is, that his strong faith in God, and 
in the truth of which God is the protector, kills the ea- 
gerness of nature. He is calm amid opposition; patient 
under rebuke. 

(10.) The person of a truly liberated spirit, although 
he is ever ready to do his duty, waits patiently till the 
proper time of action. He has no choice of time but 
that which is indicated by the providence of God. The 
Savior himself could not act until his " hour was come." 
When he was young, he was subject to his parents ; 
when he was older, he taught in the synagogues. In 
his journeyings, in his miracles, in his instructions, in 
his sufferings, he always had an acquiescent and approv- 
ing reference to that providential order of events which 
his heavenly Father had established. On the contrary, 
an inthralled mind, although it is religiously disposed 
in part, will frequently adopt a precipitate and undelib- 
erate course of action, which is inconsistent with a 
humble love of the divine order. Such a person thinks 
that freedom consists in having things in his own way, 
whereas true freedom consists in having things in the 
right way ; and the right way is God's way. And in 
this remark we include not only the thing to be done, 
and the manner of doing it, but also the time of doing it. 

(11.) The possessor of true religious liberty, when 
he has submissively and conscientiously done his duty, 
is not troubled by any undue anxiety in relation to the 
result. It may be laid down as a maxim, that he who 
asserts that he has left all things in the hands of God, 
and at the same time exhibits trouble and agitation of 
spirit in relation to the results of those very things, 
(with the exception of those agitated movements or dis- 
quietudes which are purely instinctive,; gi^es abundant 
evidence, in the fact of this agitation of spirit, that he 
has not really made the entire surrender which he pro- 



OF SPIRITUAL LIBERTY. 265 

fesses to have made. The alleged facts are contradic- 
tory of each other, and both cannot exist at the same time 

Finally. In view of what has been said, and as a 
sort of summary of the whole, we may remark that true 
liberty of spirit is found in those, and in those only, 
who, in the language of De Sales, "keep the heart to- 
tally disengaged from every created thing, in order that 
they may follow the known will of God." In other 
words, it is found with those who can say, with the 
apostle Paul, that they are " dead, and their life is hid 
with Christ in God." The ruling motive in the breast 
of the man of a religiously free spirit is, that he may, in 
all cases and on all occasions, do the will of God. In^ 
that will his " life is hid." The supremacy of the di- 
vine will — in other words, the reign of God in the heart 
— necessarily has a direct and powerful operation upon 
the appetites, propensities, and affections ; keeping them, 
each and all, in their proper place. As God rules in the 
heart, every thing else is necessarily subordinate. It is 
said of the Savior himself, that "he pleased not him^ 
self," bui that he came "to do his Father's will." 

Another thing, which can be said affirmatively and 
positively, is, that those who are spiritually free are led 
by the Spirit of God. A man who is really guided by 
his appetites, his propensities, or even by his affections, 
his love of country, or any thing else other than the 
Spirit of God, cannot be said to be led by that divine 
Spirit. The Spirit of God, ruling in the heart, will not 
bear the presence of any rival, any competitor. In the 
heart of true liberty the Spirit of God rules, and rules 
alone ; so that he who is in the possession of this lib- 
erty does nothing of his own pleasure or his own choice. 
That is to say, in all cases of voluntary action, he does 
nothing under the impulse and guidance of natural pleas- 
ure or natural choice alone. His liberty consists in 
being free from self; in being liberated from the domin- 
ion of the world ; in lying quietly and submissively in 
the hands of- God ; in leaving himself, like clay in the 
hands of the potter, to be moulded and fashioned by the 
23 



266 ON THE TRUE IDEA OF SPIRITUAL LIBERTY. 

divme will. Natural liberty may be said to consist in 
following the natural sentiments ; in doing our own de- 
sires and purposes, which naturally throng in upon the 
soul and take possession. It is like a strong man, that 
is under the complete control of his irregular passions. 
Spiritual liberty consists in passively, yet intelligently 
and approvingly, following the leadings of the Holy 
Ghost. It is like a little child, that reposes, in simplicity 
and in perfect confidence, on the bosom of its beloved 
mother. Natural liberty combines, with the appearance 
of liberty, the reality of subjection. He who has but 
natural liberty is a slave to himself. In spiritual lib- 
r exty, it is just the opposite. He who is spiritually free 
' has entire dominion over himself. Spiritual liberty im- 
plies, with the fact of entire submission to God, the 
great and precious reality of interior emancipation. He 
who is spiritually free is free in God. And he may, per- 
haps, be said to be free in the same sense in which God 
is, who is free to do every thing right, and nothing 
wrong. 

This is freedom indeed. This is the liberty with 
which Christ makes free. This is emancipation which 
inspires the songs of angels — a freedom which earth 
k cannot purchase, and which hell cannot shackle. 



267 



CHAPTER FIFTEENTH. 



ON GROWTH IN HOLINESS. 



If a person is holy, how can he be more holy ? If 
he is perfectly holy, how can he increase in holiness t 
These are questions which are frequently asked, and 
which it is desirable satisfactorily to answer. 

That a thing may be perfect in its nature, and yet be 
susceptible of growth or advancement in degree, is, I sup- 
pose, a matter of common observation. An oak, when 
it first rises above the surface of the ground, is so small 
and weak, that it may be easily trodden under foot ; 
and yet it is as really and truly an oak as when it sub- 
sequently stands forth in the strength and stature of a 
hundred years. A human being is in his nature as much 
a human being in the period of infancy as in the sub- 
sequent expansion and growth of manhood. And so, 
consider a man in relation to any intellectual power ot 
the mind, or in relation to any appetite or affection of 
the mind, and the same view may very properly be 
taken. A person is a reasoner, for instance ; he under- 
stands perfectly the principles and process of reasoning, 
and he may be able to apply the principles and process 
perfectly in a given case ; and yet, under the favorable 
influence of the law of habit, he may much increase 
the promptness and facility, and consequent perfection, 
in the operations of this mental faculty. Again, an 
intemperate man may become perfectly temperate ; and 
yet we all know the general fact, that one who is thus 
entirely reformed from intemperance, is more likely to 
he overcome by temptation in the earlier periods of his 



268 ON GROWTH IN HOLINESS. 

reformation, than when subsequently the temperate prin- 
ciple has acquired growth and strength. 

And we may not only say, in general terms, that there 
may be a growth in perfection, but may assert further, 
that the thing which is most perfect, if it be susceptible 
of growth at all, will have the most sure and rapid 
growth. Which grows most and in the best manner — 
ilie flower which is whole and perfect in its incipient 
state, or that which has a canker in it, or is otherwise 
injured and defective in some of its parts ? Which will 
grow the most rapidly and symmetrically — the child 
which is perfect in its infancy, or one which is afflicted 
with some malformation? Illustrations and facts of 
this kind seem to make it clear that the spiritually ren- 
ovated state of mind, which is variously called holiness, 
assurance of faith, perfect love, and sanctification, may 
be susceptible of growth or increase. It is not only evi- 
dent that there is no naturaLor physical impossibility in 
it, but, as has been intimated, we may go farther, 
and lay it down as a general truth, that perfection in 
the nature of a thing is requisite to perfection in degree. 
And accordingly, although it is possible for a person who 
is partially holy to grow in holiness, a person who is 
entirely holy, although he may be assailed by unfavora- 
ble, influences outwardly, will grow much more. The 
obstacles to growth in holiness will not only be much 
less in the latter case than in the former, but that inward 
vitality, which is necessary to the greatest expansion 
and progress, will possess a positive and effective power, 
unknown under other circumstances. 

(II.) These views not only commend themselves to 
common observation and the lights of human reason, 
but we remark, in the second place, that they are also 
fully in accordance with what we are taught in the 
Scriptures. We learn, in relation to John the Baptist, 
that he was filled with the Holy Ghost from his birth, 
and that consequently he was sanctified from that early 
period. But when we contemplate him in after life, in 



ON GROWTH IN HOLINESS. 269 

the temptations and labors he underwent, in his faithful 
preaching, in his stern rebukes of wickedness in high 
places as well as low, in his imprisonment, and in the 
general growth and expansion of his matured and con- 
secrated powers, can there possibly be any difficulty in 
ascribing to him a growth in holiness ? Does not the 
opposite idea, viz., that in the degree of holiness he was 
not more advanced than at the period of his birth, carry 
an absurdity upon the very face of it? And we may 
remark further, that it is expressly said of him, " And 
the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit." The 
Savior also was holy from the very beginning of his 
existence. There was no one power, either of body or 
mind, that was not fully sanctified. But it was said of 
him, in terms similar to those applied to John the Bap- 
tist, Luke ii. 40, "And the child grew, and waxed 
strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace of 
God was upon him." And again it is said of him, in 
the same chapter, " And Jesus increased in wisdom and 
stature, and in favor with God and man." What is the 
meaning of this increase of strength in spirit ? And how 
could he increase in the favor of his heavenly Father, 
if, with the increase of his expanding powers, there 
was not also a corresponding growth in holy love ? The 
Scriptures every where speak of growth. They do not 
recognize the idea of standing still ; and all those pas- 
sages which require growth in grace and religious knowl- 
edge are as applicable after the experience of sanctifi- 
cation as before. " Let us, therefore, as many as be 
perfect, be thus minded." Philip, iii. 15. Be thus 
minded in what respect ? The answer is found m the 
preceding verse, viz., to "press toward the mark for 
the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." 
"Be ye therefore perfect," says the Savior, "as your 
Father in heaven is perfect." This remarkable and 
most impressive command evidently implies two things. 
The first is, that we should be perfect in our sphere; 
that is to say, in our perceptions, our feelings, and our 
purposes, to the full extent of our capability. And the 
23* 



270 ON GROWTH IN HOLINESS. 

second is, that we should continually expand, in accord- 
ance with that law of increase which is a part of the 
nature of every rational being, our capacity of feeling 
and of knowledge, whatever it may be. And in doing 
this, (that is to say, on the supposition of its being 
done,) we fulfil the command absolutely, so far as the 
nature of our mental exercises is concerned ; and fulfil 
it by approximation, or continual expansion and growth, 
so far as relates to their degree. It is thus with the 
angels in heaven. They are holy, but are always grow- 
ing in holiness. In the nature of their exercises they are 
like their heavenly Father, and perfect as he is perfect ; 
but in relation to the degree of their exercises, they 
can te said to be perfect only in availing themselves 
of every possible means of approximation and growth 
Growth, therefore, — continual advancement, — is the 
unalterable law of all created holy beings. And 
hence it is further said in the Scriptures, in expressions 
that are full of weighty import, " For whosoever hath, 
to him shall be given, and he shall have more abun- 
dance ; but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken 
away even that he hath." Matt. xiii. 12. 

(III.) Some persons may admit the fact of growth 
in holiness after the experience of full sanctification, 
and still be in some degree of perplexity as to the man- 
ner of it. We proceed, therefore, in the third place, 
without promising to remove this perplexity altogether, 
to enter into some explanations upon this topic. Evan- 
gelical holiness, it will be recollected, is nothing more 
nor less than perfect love. Love is based in part upon 
knowledge, and is necessarily based upon it. It is en- 
tirely evident that we can never love an object of which 
we have no knowledge ; and it is equally so that, in 
proportion as our knowledge extends, we have a wider 
intellectual basis for the action of this principle. And 
accordingly, every new manifestation of God's character, 
every new exhibition of his attributes, every additional 
development of his providences, will furnish new occa- 
sions for accessions of love. It is the privilege, therefore. 



ON GROWTH IN HOLINESS. 27 J 

of a person perfected in love, and consequently a holy 
person, to increase in holiness in exact proportion with 
his increase in knowledge. 

Again, it is well known that there is a great law of 
our mental nature termed the law of habit. The law 
is, that increased facility and strength of mental action 
results from repetition or practice. There does not ap- 
pear to be a power of the mind, eithei intellectual or 
sensitive, which may not feel the influence of this law. 
And according to this law, every exercise of love, when 
the exercises are continuously successive, will give place 
to another, which is increased in strength. And hence 
a holy being, (not one who is holy to-day and sinning 
to-morrow, and so on alternately, but a holy being,) who 
continues to be so, will necessarily go on from one de- 
gree of strength to another. And we may add, by way 
of illustration, that it seems to be the same here as it is 
in regard to depravity. Our theologians assure us, that 
man is by nature entirely depraved. But they also 
agree in asserting, that entireness of depravity does not 
preclude the idea of growth in depravity. They admit 
that the law of habit strengthens the intensity of the 
depraved element. A depraved man is more depraved 
than a depraved child ; and a depraved devil is more 
depraved than a depraved man. If theologians gener- 
ally propound as sound doctrine the idea of growth in 
the matter of depravity, when the depravity is entire, it 
would be difficult to show its unsoundness in the mat- 
ter of holiness. 

And there is another important consideration. There 
are grounds for the remark, that we may indirectly in- 
crease the strength of holy emotions and desires, by a 
removal of the various obstacles which oppose and ob- 
struct their exercise. The speed of a vessel or of a 
railroad car depends not only upon the amount of the 
propelling power, whatever that power may be, but also, 
in part, upon the number and greatness of the obstacles 
to be overcome. If the obstacles are many and great 



272 ON GROWTH IN HOLINESS. 

the speed will be less. Now, the sanctified person is 
continually acquiring knowledge, not only in relation to 
the great and adorable object of his perfected love, but 
also in relation to his own physical and intellectual in- 
firmities, the nature of temptations, and the subtle arts 
of the adversary of souls. In these infirmities, tempta- 
tions, and evil arts, he finds very serious obstacles to 
his progress in holiness. But every day's experience, 
under the instructions and guidance of the Holy Spirit, 
teaches their nature and diminishes their power. He 
learns where his weakness is, and understands better 
than he did at first how to counteract it. He knows the 
artifices of the adversary, the insidious manner of his 
approaches, and the way in which he can be resisted 
and defeated. And the result of this knowledge is, that 
many serious obstacles which existed before, and which 
perplexed his progress, are removed. His increased 
knowledge of the character of God, the influence of 
the law of habit, the imparted influences of the Holy 
Spirit, have their natural and unobstructed effect, and 
accelerate, as they would not do under other circum- 
stances, the ascendant flight of the soul. 

These considerations evidently show, that the idea of 
growth in holiness, when the heart is already sanctified 
to God, is not an unreasonable one. On the contrary, 
it would seem, on any principles of reason applicable 
to the case, that the growth of a sanctified soul in holi- 
ness would be much more rapid than that of a soul but 
partially sanctified. The testimony of those who have 
arrived at the state of assurance of faith and perfected 
love confirms these views. Their testimony is that, 
after having reached this state, their growth in grace is 
much more rapid and sure than it was before. They 
are conscious of increased power against temptation, and 
of an increase of union with the divine will, to an extent 
unknown in their previous experience. What growth, 
then, must there be in angel minds, which are neither 
obstructed by inward nor by outward evils in their 



ON GROWTH IN HOLINESS. 273 

progress ! What expansion with each revolving day ! 
What increased intensity of desire ! What higher and 
more triumphant energies of love ! 

In conclusion, we exhort those who are sanctified 
to the Lord to grow abundantly in holiness. Of two 
persons, both of whom are truly holy persons, one may 
grow in holiness more rapidly and surely than another. 
This is an important fact, and one that is often over- 
looked. The difference of growth in holiness, after the 
experience of sanctification, seems to us to depend, next 
to believing and earnest application for divine assistance, 
upon growth in knowledge. Little claim has any one 
to the character of a holy person, who is willing to be 
ignorant. We have not reference, in this remark, to the 
mere knowledge of natural things, which oftentimes 
perplexes rather than promotes the inward life, but to 
religious knowledge ; to any thing and every thing 
which throws light upon the character, providences, and 
the will of God ; and to whatever illustrates the char- 
acter, relations, and moral and religious duties, of man. 
Holiness, considered in its full extent, is a great study ; 
and he only who is willing to be a diligent and faith- 
ful student will understand it. Hence we are told, in 
the Second Epistle of Peter, that God hath given us all 
things that pertain unto life and godliness, " through 
the knowledge of him that has called us to glory and 
virtue ; " and are directed, in the same chapter, to add 
"*o our faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge." 



274 



CHAPTER SIXTEENTH. 



ON THE CONFESSION OF SIN. 



Should those who are so far advanced in the reli- 
gious life as to be justly regarded as sanctified or holy 
persons, confess sin? This is a question which is 
sometimes asked with a degree of solicitude, and from 
good motives. And besides, it is often adduced as one 
of the greatest objections to the doctrine of the realiza- 
tion of holiness in the present life, that those who have 
experienced it ought not to, and cannot, confess sin. 

First. The confession of sin during the whole 
course of the present life is exceedingly proper, for 
various reasons ; and in the first place, because sin is an 
unspeakable evil. We suppose that those who have 
experienced a perfected state of faith and love will 
understand this remark more fully than others. They 
have tasted the bitter fruits of sin ; they have in many 
cases endured a severe and terrible contest in driving it 
from the heart ; they are now engaged momentarily in 
a constant warfare to prevent its reentrance ; they know 
it is the one great thing, and the only thing, which sep- 
arates the soul from God ; they know that every sin, 
even the smallest, is exceedingly heinous in God's sight , 
they feel that they had rather die a thousand deaths 
than voluntarily commit even the smallest sin. Now, 
when they remember that, during a considerable portion 
of their lives, they were sinning against God every day 
and hour, despising, injuring, and insulting continually 
that great and good Being, whom now their hearts as 
continually adore, they are penetrated with the deepest 
grief. They never, never can forget the greatness of 



ON THF CONFESSION OF SIN. 275 

their former degradation and guilt ; and, in their present 
state of mind, they never can remember it without 
being, at each distinct retrospection, deeply humbled 
and penitent. Indeed, as true confession consists much 
more in the state of the heart than in the expression of 
the lips, and as the surest mark of true confession is an 
earnest striving after the opposite of that which is con- 
fessed as wrong, those who are earnestly seeking and 
practising holiness may be said, in the highest sense of 
the terms, to be always acknowledging and always la- 
menting their sin. Their watching, their strife, their 
warfare, is against sin, as the evil and bitter thing which 
their soul hates, and which their souls shall ever hate, 
whenever and wherever committed, whether by them- 
selves or others, at the present time or in times past. 

Second. There is a propriety and a practical impor- 
tance in the confession of sin, during the whole course 
of the present life ; because our various infirmities, our 
defects of judgment, our frequent ignorance of the mo- 
tives and characters of our fellow-men, and the relatively 
wrong acts and feelings which originate in these sources, 
from which no one, in the present period of the history 
of the church, can reasonably expect to be free, require 
an atonement, as well as our wilful or voluntary trans- 
gressions. We do not suppose that it is necessary here 
to enter into an argument for the purpose of showing 
that such imperfections, originally flowing from oui 
fallen condition and our connection with Adam, require 
the application of Christ's blood. Such is not only our 
own belief, but we have reason to believe that it is a 
doctrine which is generally conceded by those who 
will be likely to take an interest in these inquiries. There 
are various passages of Scripture, such as Lev. iv. 3, 
and Numb. xv. 27 — 30, which have relation to such 
infirmities and sins, and which might be properly con- 
sulted, if the present were an occasion to enter into a 
minute examination of the subject. 

It is in accordance with what has now been said, that 



276 ON THE CONFESSION OF SIN. 

Christians, who are well established in the interior life, 
whenever they have fallen into such errors and infirmi- 
ties, experience no true peace of mind until they find 
a sense of forgiveness. For an error in judgment; for 
an ill-placed word when there was no evil design or 
intention of saying what was wrong ; for an action which 
was undesignedly a mistaken one, either through undue 
remissness or through undue haste ; for any unavoidable 
blindnesses and ignorances whatever, which are followed 
by evil and unhappy results, they find no resource but 
in an immediate and believing application to the atoning 
blood. It is true, they do not ordinarily have those bit- 
ter feelings of condemnation and remorse which they 
have when they have committed a deliberate transgres- 
sion ; but they feel deep humiliation and sorrow of heart j 
they see the results of sin flowing from the original re- 
bellion, and have what may perhaps be called an instinc- 
tive conviction, that the occasion is a fitting one for pen- 
itent grief and for humble confession. Now, as such in- 
firmities are very frequent, and as, indeed, they are una- 
voidable, so long as we come short of the intellectual and 
physical perfection of Adam, we shall have abundant 
occasion to confess our trespasses ; and it will ever be 
true, that our sin, in this sense of the term, will always 
be before us. 

It may be proper to remark here, that it was probably 
in this view of the subject that Mr. Wesley, while he 
maintained, with great ability and earnestness, the doc- 
trine of Christian perfection, or of perfect love, did not 
hold to the doctrine of sinless perfection. That is to 
say, he maintained that it was both our duty and our 
privilege to love God with all our heart ; and also . tha 
this state of mind, viz., of assured faith and perfected 
love, had been actually, and in many cases, realized. 
He maintained, nevertheless, that this state was consist- 
ent with all those wrong 'udgments which are involun- 
tary and unavoidable, and consequently with relatively 
wrong acts and affections : that we are continually liable 



ON THE CONFESSION OF SIN. 277 

to transgress in the respects which have been mentioned, 
even while we are in a state of perfect love, and that 
the best of men may say from the heart, 

" Every moment, Lord, I need 
The merit of thy death." 

Under these circumstances, he thought it proper and 
necessary, that even persons who, on evangelical prin- 
ciples, could justly lay claim to the blessing of sanctifi- 
cation, should continually humble themselves before God 
and make confession. This view seems to be correct. 
And it is very desirable, when we look at it in its prac- 
tical results, as well as in its moral relations, that it 
should continue to be maintained, because it will con- 
stantly prompt us not only to seek perfection in love, 
which is the most important thing, but to seek perfection 
in manners, habits, health, words, knowledge, and all 
good judgment. 

Third. It is proper, furthermore, to confess our sins, 
because there may be sins in us, and not merely those 
which result from infirmity and are involuntary, which 
are seen by the omniscient eye of God, but which may 
not be obvious to ourselves. We have no doubt that, as 
a general thing, we may rely upon our consciousness in 
confirmation of the great fact of perfection in love. Cer- 
tainly it is a reasonable idea that, as a general thing, a 
man may know in himself, or in his own consciousness, 
whether he loves God or not, and whether he loves him 
with his whole heart or not. At the same time, there 
may occasionally be cases in which he is left in some 
degree of doubt. He may, through the influence of 
some sudden temptation, be driven so closely upon the 
line which separates rectitude from sin, that it is almost 
impossible for him to tell whether he has kept within it. 
The Scriptures also recognize the great deceitfulness of 
the human heart. Who, then, is able, either on philo- 
sophical or Scripture principles, to assert absolutely and 
unconditionally, that he has been free from sin, at least 
for any great length of time ? We may, therefore, with 
24 



278 ON THE CONFESSION OF SIN. 

great propriety, even if there were no other reason but 
this, ask the forgiveness of our trespasses, of our sins, 
or of whatever God sees amiss in us ; and it is unques- 
tionably our duty so to do. 

We may add here, that it is generally, and perhaps 
we may say universally, the case, that those who give 
good evidence of being in that state which we variously 
describe as assurance of faith and as perfect love, and 
which involves the possession of the blessing of present 
sanctification, speak of their state in a qualified rather 
than in an absolute manner. In other words, they gener- 
ally express themselves (and it is exceedingly proper that 
they should do so) merely as if they hoped, or had rea- 
son to hope, that they had experienced this great blessing, 
and were kept free from voluntary and known sin. Such 
a mode of expression seems to be unobjectionable ; it is 
consistent with confession, and corresponds to the pre- 
cise state of the case. 

Fourth. It is proper and important also to acknowl- 
edge our having sinned against God, and to humble our- 
selves before him on account of sin, because we are 
thus continually reminded of the unspeakable conde- 
scension and mercy of God, as manifested in the atoning 
sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It is impossible that a truly 
holy mind, one that has deeply felt the living God 
within, should ever forget the depth of its former deg- 
radation, however different and however encouraging 
may be its present state. And whenever it calls to recol- 
lection its former pollution, it cannot be otherwise than 
deeply impressed with a sense of the Savior's wonder- 
ful goodness and love. May we not even conjecture, 
that it will be our privilege through all eternity to re- 
member and to confess our former fallen state ? Even 
in heaven, renewed and purified as we shall be, we shall, 
in one sense at least, be sinners saved by grace ; and 
shall undoubtedly repeat with joy the song of the ran- 
somed, " Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God 
by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and 
people, and nation." 



tfN THE CONFESSION OF SIN. 279 

With these considerations we leave the subject, after 
a single remark further. While it is proper for all to 
make a confession during life, it is nevertheless true, 
that the mind of a person who is truly in a sanctified 
state is chiefly occupied with supplications and thanks- 
givings. Such persons may be said for the most part to 
be always praying, always supplicating, and in every 
thing giving thanks. The state of those who possess this 
blessing is very different from the condition of persons 
who have nothing but their sins to speak of. Such is 
their peace of mind, such their delight in God's char- 
acter, such their sense of inward purity, such their con- 
formity to God's will, that their prevalent state must 
necessarily be one of divine communion and of holy 
rejoicing. 



2S1 



PART THIRD. 



ON 



INWARD DIVINE GUIDANCE 



24* 



283 



CHAPTER FIRST. 



ON THE DISPENSATION OF THE HOLY GHOST. 



f It is a scriptural, and I suppose a generally-acknowl- 
{ edged fact, that the world is now, in a special manner, 
sunder the dispensation of the Holy Ghost. The Father, 
in conceiving and adopting the plan of man's redemption, 
may be said, in relation to our apprehension of things in 
time, to have reconciled justice and mercy prospectively. 
The Son, by coming into the world in accordance with 
the plan of redemption, and by fulfilling, in his death 
on the cross, the indispensable conditions of the plan, 
rendered this reconciliation not only prospectively, but 
presently and actually possible. The office of the Holy 
Ghost, among other things, is to teach men ; and by 
teaching, and other spiritual operations, to induce and 
enable them to accept and to realize, in their own reno- 
vated persons and natures, all the benefits which the 
wisdom of the Father has provided, and which the 
voluntary humiliation of the Son has rendered possible. 
The work of man's salvation, therefore, in its practical 
and personal application, and so far as it remains uncom- 
pleted, may be said to be under the direction of the 
v Holy Ghost. Accordingly, when our Savior left the 
world, he held the following language to his disciples : 
"Nevertheless, I tell you the truth ; it is expedient for 
you that I go away ; for if I go not away, the Comfort- 
er will not come unto you ; but if I depart, I will send 
him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove 
the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." 
And again he says, " I have yet many things to sav 



/£84 ON THE DISPENSATION 

unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when 
he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he will guide you into 
al. truth ; for he shall not speak of himself: but whatso- 
ever he shall hear, that shall he speak ; and he will 
show you things to come. He shall glorify me; for 
he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you." 
John xvi. 7, 8, 12, 13, 14. \ 

/ The Holy Spirit, therefore, is to be regarded as the\ 
' appointed and effective renovator, guide, comforter, ancLJ 
, teacher, of the children of men. In the moral and reli- 
gious world, all good is from him ; and beyond the reach 
of his influence, and irrespective of his presence and 
operations, there is not, and cannot be, any thing which 
is valuable or desirable. There are some reasons for 
saying, that the dispensation of the Holy Spirit is pre- 
cisely opposite and antagonistical, in its principles and 
results, to what may be called the natural dispensation, 
viz., the law of the natural heart, or the reign of self 
in the soul. Man, before his fall, had a true life in God. 
He did not live by his own vitality, and flourish upon 
his own stock. The power of God possessed its habi- 
tation in the centre of his soul — a living, animating, 
purifying principle. If he possessed, as undoubtedly he 
did, what might properly be denominated natural ability, 
it was, nevertheless, natural ability made alive, inspired, 
animated, by an ability out of and above nature. It 
was enough for him to know, and rejoice in, the fact that 
God was the continuance, as well as the beginning, of his 
inward life ; that every good thought and good feeling, 
that all purified activity and divine strength, all holy love 
and all angelic aspirations, were from God, and from 
God alone. And his apostasy, as it seems reasonable to 
suppose, consisted in the alienation and dethronement 
of this inward divine power, and in the substitution of 
self instead of God. In the language of another, " man 
broke off from his true centre, his proper place in God, 
and therefore the life and operation of God was no more 
in him. He was fallen from a life in God into a life 



OF THE HOLY GHOST. 285 

of self, into an animal life of self-love, self-esteem, and 
self-seeking in the poor, perishing enjoyments of this 
world. This was the natural state of man by the 
Fall. He was an apostate from God, and his natural 
life was all idolatry, where self was the great idol 
that was worshipped instead of God." # 

The object, therefore, of Christ's coming into the 
world, was to place men essentially in the condition in 
which they were before the Fall — not only to secure 
their forgiveness, but. to make them holy ; not only to 
make them holy, but to make them so in the only way 
in which Adam or any other boing was ever made holy, 
viz., by means of the living and constant operation of 
God in the soul. Hence the necessity of ttie^is^pejisaj 

ion of the Holy Spirit. Hence the various directions 
which are given In the Scriptures not to grieve and not 
to quench the Holy Spirit. Hence the declaration, that 
Christians are the temple of the Holy Ghost. And ac- 
cordingly it is a great truth, though but imperfectly un- 
derstood and estimated, that he who moves and acts, 
in religious things, without the attendant operation and 
grace of the Holy Ghost, cannot be spiritually wise, and j 
is not in the way to be spiritually benefited. 

(II.) The object of that peculiar state of things, which 
may with some good reason be described as the dispen- 
sation of the Holy Ghost, will not be completely real- 
ized till all Christians are filled with the presence and the 
operations of this Divine Agent. And why should not 
Christians of the present day experience this great inward 
result, as well as those of the primitive ages ? It was 
said of John the Baptist, even before his birth, " and he 
shall be filled with the Holy Ghost." It is related both 
of his mother Elizabeth, and of his father Zachariah, that 
" they were filled with the Holy Ghost." The apostle 
Peter and the martyr Stephen are described as being, in 

ike manner, "full of the Holy Ghost." The disciples, 
on the day of Pentecost, are said to have been " filled 

* Law's Spirit of Prayer, Part 1. chap. 3 



286 ON THE DISPENSATION 

with the Holy Ghost." Similar language is applied to 
the Savior: And Jesus, " being full of the Holy Ghost," 
returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the 
wilderness. The baptism of the Holy Ghost, which is 
repeatedly spoken of, probably means, in some places, if 
not in all, the same thing with being filled with the 
Holy Ghost. 

In the times of the apostles, miraculous powers were 
connected with the descent and the fulness of the Spirit's 
operations. The gift of these powers seems to have had 
special reference to the circumstances of the times, and 
to have been temporary. But the infinitely greater 
blessing, the crowning work of the Holy Spirit, — that of 
imparting to the soul the grace of assured or perfect faith, 
and the attendant grace of perfect love, — still remains. 
Now, if the Holy Ghost came into the world to dwell 
with men, to take up his abode with them, and to teach 
them ; if he came to inspire within them the highest pos- 
sible faith and love, and to procure to them the highest 
possible purity and peace, then it seems to me that the 
object of the dispensation of the Holy Ghost is not, and 
cannot be, completely realized till it can be said of all 
Christians, as it was said anciently, that they are men 
full of the Holy Ghost. Till this is done, there is a 
resistance in the heart proceeding from the remaining 
life of self, and from the inspiration and artifices of Satan 
which ought not to be. The Holy Spirit is ready, not 
only to advance, but entirely to accomplish, the inward 
work, whenever the people of God are prepared, with 
childlike simplicity of spirit, and without any reservation, 
to undergo his sharply-searching and purifying agency. 
It is the spirit of self, showing itself in the forms of dis- 
trust and resistance, which obstructs this faithful but 
friendly operation; which grieves the Spirit, and pre- 
vents his purifying the heart with the waters of the inte- 
rior baptism. Let the followers of Christ ponder well 
these important truths. Let them strive to keep in 
mind, that they can do nothing well, in the moral and 
religious sense of the terms, which is not prompted by 



OF THE HOLY GHC ST. 287 

the presence and suggestions of the Holy Spirit; and 
certainly that they cannot do all things well, bringing 
every emotion and passion into subjection, and walking 
always in the commandment of faith and love, without 
being "filled," as the Scriptures express it, with his effi- 
cacious agency. 

(III.) An inquiry may arise here, In what manner 
doesjhe Holy Spirit operate in individual hearts ? In 
relation to the subject involved in this inquiry, it does 
not appear that any specific and certain rule can be laid 
down. The methods of the divine operation appear to 
be one of the secret things which are hidden with God, 
Accordingly, the Holy Spirit, so far as his method or 
manner of his influences is concerned, operates different- 
ly in different cases. " The wind bloweth where it list- 
eth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell 
whence it cometh and whither it goeth. So is every 
one that is born of the Spirit." He sometimes comes 
with sudden and almost visible efficacy, and produces his 
results with " observation." But, still more frequently, 
as it seems to us, he comes asa' : still small voice," and 
operates in a secret and silent manner ; but with no dim- 
inution of effective power and of inward purification. 

" If the Lord be pleased," says Mr. Fletcher, " to come 
softly to thy help ; if he make an end of thy corruption 
by helping thee gently to sink to unknown depths of 
meekness ; if he drown the indwelling man of sin, by 
baptizing, by plunging him into an abyss of humility, — 
do not find fault with the simplicity of his method, the 
plainness of his appearing, and the commonness of his 
prescription. Nature, like Naaman, is full of prejudices. 
She expects that Christ will come to make her clean 
with as much ado, pomp, and bustle, as the Syrian gen- 
eral looked for ' when he was wroth and said, Behold, I 

thought, He will surely come out to me and stand 

and call on his God and strike his hand over 

the place and recover the leper.' Christ frequently 

goes a much plainer way to work, and by this means he 
disconcerts all our preconceived notions and schemes of 



288 ON THE DISPENSATION 

deliverance. ' Learn of me to be meek and lowly of 
heart, and thou shalt find rest to thy soul.' Instead 
therefore, of going away from a plain Jesus in a rage, 
welcome him in his lowest appearance, and be persuaded 
that he can as easily make an end of thy sin, by gently 
coming in ' a still small voice,' as by rushing in upon 
thee in l a storm, a fire, or an earthquake.' " * 

(IV.) At this place in our remarks, another inquiry 
naturally arises — How shall a person know, since the 
modes of the Spirit's interior action are so various, when 
he experiences the full or completed presence and oper- 
ations of this Divine Agent ? A proper answer, so far as 
it goes, would perhaps be, that this can be known only Jjy 
the results of such divine presence and agency. These 
results, in their entire length and breadth, we will not 
attempt to analyze at the present time ; but will only 
go so far now as to say, that one of the most decisive 
marks of the presence of the Holy Ghost in its fulness, 
is a resigned and peaceful state of the spirit, originating 
in perfect faith in God. In the precise state of mind to 
which we now have reference, there seems to be an en- 
tire subsidence or withdrawal of that natural excitability 
which is so troublesome to the Christian ; and instead 
of the eager and unsettled activity of nature, the substi- 
tution of a pure and deeply-interior rest of the soul, such 
as was seen in our Savior, and resembling, on the small 
scale of man's limited spirituality, the sublime and pas- 
sionless tranquillity of God. 

Undoubtedly there are other important marks, charac- 
teristic of the inward fulness of the divine power. But 
this, if it be rightly understood, may be regarded as the 
highest result of the divine operation upon the human 
mind. It is not, therefore, merely the Christian whose 
mental exercises are characterized by traits that are cal- 
culated to excite outward observation, that is filled with 
the Holy Ghost, to the exclusion of others. Still more 
frequently is this fulness experienced in the hearts of 

* Fletcher's Works, vol. ii. p. 650. 



OF THE HOLY GHOST. 289 

those who sit in solitary places, unknown to the world ; S 
who live, in the secrecy of their spirits, with God alone ; 
and of whom the multitude around them, ignorant of the 
interior power which dwells in their souls, know only 
this — that they perform the religious and temporal duties 
of life with fidelity and gratitude, and endure its trials 
Trad sorrows with silence and submission. We would not 
have it understood, however, as these remarks might seem 
to imply, that persons in this calmly peaceful and tri- 
umphant state of mind, are destitute of feeling. Far 
from it. They have feeling ; but it is regulated feeling 
— perfect in degree, but symmetrical in all its relations ; 
and therefore resulting in that angelic aspect of religious 
experience which has been indicated. And the expla- 
nation is this : Every emotion is so perfectly adapted to 
its appropriate object ; every desire and affection is kept 
.so perfectly in its position ; every volition moves so 
surely and strongly towards the goal of perfect recti- 
tude ; all worldly tendencies and attachments, all hopes 
and fears, all joys and sorrows, are so completely merged 
in the overruling principle of supreme love to God, — a 
principle which makes all of God and nothing of the 
creature, — that the result is, and of necessity must be 
inward quietude — 

" The peaceful calm within the breast, 
The dearest pledge of glorious rest." 

25 



290 



CHAPTER SECOND. 



THE PROVIDENCES OF GOD CONSIDERED AS INTER 
PRETERS OF THE INWARD OPERATIONS OF THE 
HOLY SPIRIT. 

We propose, in the present chapter, to enter upon a 
subject which may justly be regarded as one of especial 
importance and interest. The proposition which we 
lay down, and which we design to illustrate, is the fol- 
lowing, viz. : We cannot, as a general thing, arrive at 
the true interpretation and import of the inivard sugges- 
tions of the Holy Spirit, except by connecting them with, 
and considering them in their relation to, God's out- 
ward providences. 

Our first inquiry is, what we are to understand by the 
providences of God. In answering this question, it does 
not seem to be necessary, for any purposes we have at 
present in view, to go into the distinction, which is fre- 
quently and very properly made, of the ordinary or com- 
mon providence of God, viz., that which is exercised 
in connection with secondary causes, and in the common 
course of things ; and of the extraordinary providence of 
God, or that which is altogether out of the common way, 
and has the nature of a miraculous operation. Saying 
nothing of extraordinary providences, Ave apprehend that 
there is no ordinary or common providence of God of 
such a nature as to exclude him from an actual presence 
and supervision in relation to all things whatever. It is 
enough for us to know that the hand of God is, either 
positively or permissively, in every thing. In our appre- 
hension, therefore, all events (excepting such as involve 
the commission of sin, and even these are to be regarded 



OF THE OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 291 

as permissively providential) are to be considered as 
providential in the positive sense of the term. In other 
words, whatever takes place — sin only excepted — is to 
be regarded as expressive, in some important and positive 
sense, of the will of the Lord. The controlling presence 
of the Almighty is there. God is in it. Certainly, there 
is abundant foundation for this view. If God clothes 
the grass of the field, if not a sparrow falls to the ground 
without his notice, if the very hairs of our heads are 
numbered, how can it be otherwise ? It seems to us, 
therefore, that every true Christian ought to see. and will 
see, God providentially and positively present, with the 
exception which has just been made, in the events of 
every passing moment. 

We remark, in the second place, that the presence 
and agency of God, in his providences, is not an acci- 
dental thing, but is a result which has reference to the 
divine wisdom and choice. Whatever takes place, with 
the exception of sin, is not only a portion in the great 
series of events, but takes place in accordance with the 
well-considered and divinely-ordered arrangement or 
plan of things. Accordingly, every thing which takes 
place indicates, all things considered, the mind of God 
in that particular thing. And hence we may be said to 
reach, through the divine providences, a portion of the 
divine mind, and to become acquainted with it. We 
do not mean to say that we possess, in respect to that 
particular thing, the whole of the divine wisdom ; but 
we undoubtedly possess a portion of it which is un- 
speakably valuable. To some extent, certainly, it can 
always be said, that God reveals himself; that is to 
say, he leveals his mind and will. 

We proceed to remark again, and in connection with 
what has been said, that the providences of God are, 
to a considerable extent, the interpreters of the mind of 
the Holy Spirit. The mind of God, as it is disclosed 
in his providences, and the mind of the Holy Spirit, as 
it reveals itself in the soul, are one ; and consequently, 
in their different developments, from time to time, can 



292 THE PROVIDENCES OF GOD AS INTERPRETERS 

never be at variance, but will always be in harmony, 
with each other. And not only this, — they have a 
relation to each other, which is mutually and positively 
illuminative. They throw light, the one upon the 
other. Certain it is that the mind of the Spirit, in all 
cases of mere practical action and duty, cannot, as a 
general thing, be clearly and definitely ascertained, 
except in connection with providential dispensations. 
Such dispensations are the outward light, which cor- 
responds to and throws a reflex illumination upon the 
inward light. And this is so general a law of the divine 
operation, that persons who are truly led by the Spirit 
of God are generally, and perhaps always, found to keep 
an open eye upon the divine providences, as important 
and true interpreters of the inward spiritual leadings. 
And accordingly we find the following expressions in 
the Life of Madame Guy on : " My soul could not 
incline itself on the one side or the other, since that 
another will had taken the place of its own ; but only 
nourished itself with the daily providences of God. 11 
And again : " The order of Divine Providence makes the 
whole rule and conduct of a soul entirely devoted to 
God. While it faithfully gives itself up thereto, it will 
do all things right and weir, and will have every thing 
it wants, without its own care ; because God, in whom 
it confides, makes it every moment do what he requires 
God loves what is of his own order." * 

Hardly any thing, in the conduct of the divine life in 
the soul, is more important than thus to keep an open 
and faithful eye upon the arrangements of Divine Provi- 
dence. Until the divine intimations within are cleared 
up and illustrated by the subsequent openings of Prov- 
idence, it seems to me to be the duty of Christians to 
remain in the attitude of patient expectation, and of 
humble and quiet faith. It is true, we may already be 
possessed of the inward voice, the declarations of the 
Spirit in the soul. But these inward intimations, taken 

* Life of Madame Guyon, Pt. I. chap. 27; Pt f chap 2. 



OF THE OPERATIONS JF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 293 

by themselves, may, in many cases, be very obscure ; 
and so long as we do not satisfactorily know the infor- 
mation involved in them, and the issues to which they 
lead, it is obviously a duty to keep looking upward, 
in a childlike simplicity and faith, for those further 
developments which the openings of Divine Provi- 
dence may impart. 

I have sometimes thought that there is a similitude, 
or analogy, between the natural mind and the spiritual 
mind, in relation to the subject now under consider- 
ation. The natural mind (that is to say, the perceptive 
and reflective ability which is naturally given us) is 
adapted in its operations and results to the natural world 
around us. The ability which we possess of realizing 
in ourselves the various auditory, visual, and tactual 
sensations and perceptions would be of no avail, would 
be practically useless, without the corresponding sounds, 
colors, and forms, of the external world. The mind, 
therefore, in some of its important operations, and the 
external world, are precisely and admirably fitted to go 
together. They are practically the mutual correspond- 
ences and counterparts of each other. And it seems 
to be essentially the same with the spiritual mind ; that 
is to say, with the mind enlightened and guided by the 
influences of the Holy Spirit. The mind is divinely 
inspired, in the first instance, with thoughts and views 
which may be considered as conditionally instructive 
and binding upon us ; but which can be drawn out of 
this state of conditionality, and be made positively 
clear and binding, only in connection with those various 
outward events which the divine providence is contin- 
ually developing. As instruments of music will not give 
utterance to their beautiful sounds till they are touched 
and swept by an outward hand, so the inward inspiration 
of the Holy Ghost is to some extent latent in the 
mind, and is not susceptible of being distinctly analyzed 
and heard in its responses to the spiritual ear, until it 
receives its interpretation from the outward application 
of providential events. In other words, as the natural 
25* 



294 THE I'll EVIDENCES OF GOD AS INTERPRETERS 

mind, and the natural or outward world, are mutually 
and reciprocally adapted, so also the spiritual mind and 
the providential world are mutually correspondences 
and counterparts of each other. 

Accordingly, although a person may be fully conscious 
of the presence of the Holy Spirit operating upon and 
guiding his mind, still it remains a great truth, that it is 
a guidance which, in some important sense, may be re- 
garded as dependent on those prospective developments 
which still remain in God's mysterious keeping. Hence, 
as the interpretation of the inward suggestions of the 
Holy Spirit exists, in so great a degree, in the correspond- 
ent facts and aspects of outward providences, it becomes 
every one, as has already been intimated, and especially 
every one who is seeking to live a truly devoted and 
holy life, to keep an eye humbly but conscientiously 
watchful upon all providential events ! As in the ex- 
pressions which have already been quoted, he should 
" nourish himself with the daily providences of God." 

In connection with the doctrine which has been laid 
down, a few incidental remarks remain. And the first 
is, that this doctrine strikes at the root of too great 
eagerness of spirit, and of all inordinate self-activity. 
He who would walk with God must walk in God's 
order. God not only requires us to obey and serve him, 
but to obey and serve him in his own time a>id way. 
In the eye of God, voluntary disobedience in the manner 
of the thing, is the same as disobedience in the thing 
itself. If, therefore, in order to walk with God, we must 
walk in God's order, and must operate with him in his 
own time and way, it will be necessary for us to subdue 
our natural eagerness and impetuosity of spirit. 

Again, this doctrine is totally opposed to the indul- 
gence of an inactive and sluggish spirit. He who is se- 
riously disposed to meet every movement of God's prov- 
idence in the fulfilment of every known duty, will 
find no time to be idly and uselessly thrown away. 
Every moment, as it comes, brings with it its appropriate 
instructions, and calls for its appropriate duties. It does 



OF THE OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 295 

not always call for outivard action; but it calls for 
something to be done. Tt does not always, nor does it 
ever, call for a feverish and unreflecting excitement ; 
but, on the other hand ; it never approves a listless and 
unprofitable inactivity. Nevertheless, every moment 
brings its duty, although not "always to be fulfilled in 
the same manner. That duty may be outward action ; 
or it may be inward retirement and conversation with 
God. It may relate to the improvement of others; or 
it may have relation to the instruction and improvement 
of ourselves. It may call us to open and aggressive 
assaults upon the strongholds of sin ; or to the secrecy 
of the closet and the sacredness of private supplication. 
Finally, in view of what has been said, we may lay 
it down as a great principle in the practical doctrines of 
holiness, that a soul wholly devoted to God will always 
•endeavor to move calmly, yet firmly and exactly, in the 
{ blessed order of the divine providences — neither pre-/ 
maturely and excitedly hastening in advance, nor yet/ 
sluggishly and carelessly lagging behind. 

And this truth, be it ever remembered, is one of the 
'eading elementary conceptions embraced in the great 
and glorious idea of walking with God. It is noticed 
by writers on philosophical subjects, that some sorts of 
motion are pleasant and beautiful to the beholder, whil 
others are not so. And they assert further, that objects in 
motion are thus beautiful, (for instance, a winding stream 
or a ship under gentle sail,) partly, at least, because they 
are in harmony with the laws of our own mental move- 
ment. But where the outward motion, which we are 
contemplating, is accelerated beyond a certain degree 
of rapidity, so as to be out of correspondence with the 
natural movement of our own minds, it at once ceases 
to be pleasant and beautiful, and becomes painful ; and 
so, on the other hand, when the motion becomes unu- 
sually sluggish and tardy, so as to fall in the rear of the 
movement of our own minds, and retard it, it then also 
loses its character of beauty. And it is somewhat sim- 
ilar in relation to the providences of God. When the 






296 OF 1HE OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 

inward operation of the holy soul keeps in exact corre- 
spondence with the progress of God's providences, mov- 
ing in time and place just where he moves, then all is 
orderly and divinely beautiful. But when, through un- 
faithfulness to God's grace, we are jostled out of the 
divine order, either by going in advance through pre- 
cipitancy, or falling in the rear through worldly sloth, 
we are no longer conscious of this divine harmony and 
beauty. Under such circumstances we necessarily lose, 
in a considerable degree, the sense of God's presence 
and favor, and, wandering in our own position, and out 
of the divine position, we experience but little else thap 
darkness and sorrow. 



297 



CHAPTER THIRD. 

SUGGESTIONS TO AID IN SECURING THE GUIDANUfc 
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 



One of the most important questions which can occu- 
py the minds of those who wish to experience the 
reality of the interior spiritual life, i'j — In what manner 
can we most certainly secure the ever-present and guid- 
ing influences of the Holy Spirit ? We learn from the 
Scriptures, that those who are the sons of God are led 
by the Spirit of God. And a woe is expressly denounced 
against those " foolish prophets that follow their own 
spirit." * The facts of individual experience, in relation 
to the subject of a divine guidance, abundantly confirm 
the truth of the scriptural declarations. " Though this 
secret direction of the Almighty," says Sir Matthew 
Hale, who was distinguished as a Christian as well as a 
scholar and a judge, ll is principally seen in matters 
relating to the good of the soul, yet even in the con- 
cerns of this life, a good man, fearing God, and begging 
his direction, will very often, if not at all times, find it. 
I can call my own experience to witness, that even in the 
temporal affairs of my whole life, I have never been dis- 
appointed of the best direction when I have, in humility 
and sincerity, implored it." And I think we may un- 
doubtedly regard it as a great truth, ever to be kept in re- 
membrance, that the true children of God, so far as they 
live acceptably to him, are guided by the Spirit of God. 
This great truth, that, as followers of God, it is our 
privilege and duty to be led by the Spirit of God, may 
be realized continually in our personal experience, as it 

* Ezek. xiii. 3. 



298 SIX GEST10NS TO AID IN SECURING 

seems to us, in connection with a few simple but funda- 
mental conditions. 

I. In the first place, we cannot reasonably expect to 
be guided by the Spirit, unless we desire it. And if 
we expect a continuance "of this guidance, the desire 
must be permanent and strong. It would be extremely 
absurd to suppose that the Holy Spirit will condescend 
to dwell with us, if we have no desire for it, or if we 
have not a permanent and strong desire. But we can- 
not suppose that those who aim after holiness of heart 
are without this desire ; and therefore we do not con- 
sider it necessary to dwell upon this point. 

II. In order to realize this great blessing, we must 
have faith in God, that he will do for us the thing which 
we ask. To desire of God without having faith in 
the Giver, is nearly as effectual a way to defeat the 
object of our request, as to be without desire. But on 
this point also we will not delay. Who can be ignorant 
that one of the first elements in the life of holiness is 
the doctrine of faith? " Without faith it is impossible 
to please God." How can it be possible, then, without 
faith, to receive the blessing of the Holy Spirit ? 

III. Besides those which have been mentioned, there 
is another condition necessary to be realized, in order to 
have the guiding influences of the Holy Spirit always 
with us ; namely, we must cease from our natural ac- 
tivity. We do not mean to say that we must be inac- 
tive ; that we must be wholly and absolutely without 
mental movement ; but merely and precisely that we 
must cease from the activity of nature. In other words, 
ceasing from self and from its turbulent and deceitful 
elements, and, as a consequence of this, ceasing to place 
ourselves and our personal interests foremost, we must 
keep our own plans, purposes, and aims, in entire sub- 
jection. For instance, when we ask God to guide us, 
we must not at the same time cherish in our hearts a 
secret determination and hope to guide ourselves ; just 
as some persons foolishly, and almost wickedly, ask the 
advice of their neighbors, when they have already fully 



THE GUIDANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 299 

decided in their own minds upon their future course of 
action. If we would have our desires of being continually 
guided by the Holy Spirit fully realized, we must not only 
give up our personal and self-interested plans and pur- 
poses, submitting every thing into God's hands with entire 
childlike simplicity, but it is important also not to give 
way to uneasy, agitated, and excited feelings. The ex- 
istence of undue eagerness and excitement of spirit is 
an evidence that we are, in some degree, afraid to trust 
God, and that we are still too much under the influ- 
ence of the life of nature ; so that to cease from the 
activity of nature, when properly understood, seems to 
be nothing more nor less than to cease from the spirit of 
self-wisdom, self-seeking, and self-guidance, and thus 
lo remain in submissive and peaceful simplicity and dis- 
engagement of spirit, in order that God may enter in, 
and may guide us by the wisdom of his own divine 
inspiration. 

It may be proper to add here, that the view which 
has now been expressed is entirely consistent with the 
exercise of our powers of perception and reflection. A 
cessation from our natural activity, in the sense which 
has been explained, is not only consistent with, but it 
is evidently favorable to, a just exercise of these powers. 
They will be found at such times to be free from 
erroneous and disturbing influences, and to possess a ; 
clearer insight into the truth. ' 

IV. In order to secure the continual presence of the 
Holy Spirit, we must not only fulfil the condition of 
ceasing from the self-interested activity of nature ; we 
must not only believe in God's truth and faithfulness to 
his promises, attended with a sincere desire for the bless- 
ing under consideration ; but when we ask under such 
circumstances, it is our privilege and duty to believe * 
that we now have the thing which we ask for. If, for 
instance, in true detachment and simplicity of spirit 
and with a sincere desire for the object, we seek the 
divine wisdom, which is the gift of the Holy Spirit, to 
guide us in some difficult case of duty, we are bound, 



3Q0 SUGGESTIONS TO AID IN SECURING 

on the principles of Scripture, to believe (provided, fur- 
ther, that we exercise all our powers of perception and 
reasoning applicable to the case) that we do now have 
all that wisdom which God sees to be necessary for us. 
Accordingly, we are not at liberty, in the spirit of dis- 
trust towards God, to go about to seek some new natural 
light to see our spiritual wisdom with. Such wisdom, 
resting, in its origin, upon the immutable promise of God, 
— a promise which is fulfilled in connection with the ex- 
ercise of faith, — is, for the most part, hidden from all 
forms of sight on the part of the creature, except one. 
That is to say, as it has its origin in connection with 
the operations of faith, and cannot exist except in that 
connection, so it is visible, in general, only to the eye of 
faith. It seems very evident, under the circumstances, 
and in the fulfilment of the conditions which have 
been mentioned, that we should do wrong, we should 
sin against God, not to believe in the actual possession 
of the thing which had been interceded for. It would 
evidently be a case of unbelief ; and unbelief can 
never be accounted otherwise than a great sin. It is in 
accordance with this view, that we find the following 
expressions in the First Epistle of John, v. 14, 15 : 
" And this is the confidence that xoe have in him, that 
if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us ; 
and if toe knoio that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we 
know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." 
In conclusion, we would remark, that in yielding our- 
selves up to the divine direction under such circum- 
stances as have been mentioned, we not only have the 
guidance of the Holy Spirit, but I think we are not 
exposed to those illusions and mistakes which might 
otherwise be likely to befall us. Indeed, it is hardly 
too much to say, that we may be sure of being kept in 
the right path at such times. The state of mind which 
we have described is not only one of earnest desire and 
strong faith, but, as it seems to us, of true meekness 
And we are told in the Scriptures, " The meek will he 
guide in judgment, and the meek will he teach his way/ 1 






THE GUIDANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 5UJ 

Ps. xxv. 9. It is the opinion of Fenelon, who seems 
to have had a personal experience of the divine opera- 
tion deeply interior, that in the moments of mental 
quietness and of recollection in God, — in other words, 
when we look to God in a state of cessation from 
our natural activity, — we should not hesitate to follow 
the interior impulses and attractions of the soul ; mean- 
ing to be understood, undoubtedly, that if we believ- 
ingly ask for divine guidance in such a state of mind, 
the attraction or tendency of the soul, which then 
exists, cannot be safely ascribed to any thing but the 
Spirit of God ; and that, consequently, we may con- 
sider ourselves under a divine, and not under a mere 
human direction. This we believe to be true. Never- 
theless, in this case, as in all others, we should never 
yield to the guidance of any interior attraction, however 
it may have the appearance of originating with the Holy 
Spirit, which at the same time we know to be at variance 
with the written Word of God. God can never con- 
tradict himself; and whatever revelation he has made 
of himself in his holy Word we must regard as authen- 
tic, and as entitled to our supreme confidence. But 
with the limitation implied in this remark, we have no 
doubt that God, operating ur.on the mind in a divine 
manner, will certainly teach and guide those who, in 
renouncing the self-interested eagerness of nature, pos- 
sess true meekness and quietness of spirit, and who 
believingly and earnestly look to him for such teaching 
and direction. 



" Tis thine to cleanse the heart, 

To sanctify the soul, 
To pour fresh life in every part, 

And new-create the whole. 

11 Dwell, Spirit, in our hearts ; 

Our minds from bondage free ; 
Then shall we know, and praise, and love, 

The Father, Son, and Thee." 

20 



302 



CHAPTER FOURTH. 

DISTINCTION IETWEEN IMPULSES AND A SANCTIFIED 
JUDGMENT. 



It is sometimes the case, that persons act from certain 
interior impressions, which may properly be termed 
impulses. It would certainly be very injurious to the 
cause of holiness, if the doctrine should prevail that 
mere interior impressions or impulses may of themselves 
become the rule of conduct to a holy person. That 
persons in sanctification are under a divine guidance, 
and that they cannot retain the grace of sanctification 
without such guidance, is entirely true. But it has, 
sometimes been the case, that men have mistaken natu- ] 
ral impulses for the secret inspirations of the Spirit, 
and, in the flattering belief of being guided by a higher 
power, have experienced no other guidance than that o£s 
their own rebellious passions. On the danger of such a 
state, of which the church has seen too many melan- 
choly instances, it is unnecessary to remark. We pro- 
ceed, therefore, to lay down some principles, which, if 
we do not err in our statement of them, will be of some 
assistance in guiding us in relation to this practical and 
important subject. 

First. The Holy Spirit is very various in his oper- 
ations upon men ; but it will be conceded, I suppose, as 
a correct principle, that he generally conforms himself 
in his operations, whatever they may be, to the struc- 
ture and laws of the human mind. Accordingly, in 
those operations, — the object of which is to guide or di- 
rect men, — it will be found that he always acts in con- 
nection with the powers which are appropriate to such a 
result; and particularly in connection with the percep 



IMPULSES AND A SANCTIFIED JUDGMENT. 303 

tive^and judging powers. We desire it to be kept in 
mindTT^^^v^ here of his directing or 

guiding operations ; in other words, those which have 
a special connection with human conduct. These are 
the operations which most intimately concern us, and 
in regard to which it is most important to establish 
correct principles. We proceed to say, therefore, it is 
very obvious from man's mental structure, although he 
is sometimes the subject of a purely instinctive move- 
ment, that God designed that the perceptive and judg- 
ing powers which he has given us should ordinarily 
furnish the fundamental condition or basis of human 
action. And if in his spiritual providences it should be 
founct to be his practice to guide men in any way not 
in accordance with this design, he would be inconsistent 
with himself. The first principle, therefore, which we 
lay down, is this, — that _the Holy Spirit guides men by 
operating in connection with the perceptive and judg- 
ing powers. 

And we may properly remark here, that this view, 
which is so important as to be deserving of the reflec- 
tion of the most judicious persons, seems to be in accord- 
ance with the sentiments of the pious and learned 
John Howe. " We cannot," says this esteemed writer, 
"so much as apprehend clearly and with disinction the 
things which are needful for us to apprehend, without 
the light of the Spirit of wisdom. It is necessary, (viz., 
the light which the Spirit of wisdom give;:',) in order to 
the act of distinguishing or discerning between things, 
what is to be done and what is not to be done. There 
is a continual need, through the whole course of our 
spiritual life, for the using of such a discretive judg- 
ment between things and things. And in reference 
hereto, there needs a continual emanation of the Holy 
Ghost, for otherwise we put good for evil and evil for 
good ; light for darkness and darkness for light. We 
need the Spirit's help, to shine with vigorous and power- 
ful light into our minds, so as to bring our judgments to a 
ri^ht determination." 

Second. We may lay t down as another priuciph, 



304 DISTINCTION BETWEEN IMPULSES 

that the Holy Spirit does not, either by his gentle influ- 
ences, or by those which are more sudden and powerful, 
so operate upon a person as to guide him into any 
course which is truly irrational and absurd. Now, we 
know, in many cases, iT^e~sh~6lLil3~yield to the direction 
of mere impressicns and impulses, especially those which 
are of a powerful kind, we should be led to do those 
things which, to whatever test or measurement they 
might be subjected, could not escape the denomination 
of irrationality or absurdity. Of such impulses the 
Holy Spirit can never be the author, because nothing 
which is really absurd and irrational (we speak not of 
the mere appearance, but of the reality of absurdity) 
can come from that source. I recollect once to have 
read the account of a person, published by himself, in 
which he gives the reader to understand, that on a cer- 
tain occasion he was suddenly and violently seized by 
the power of God, as he expresses it — an expression 
undoubtedly synonymous, in the view of the writer, with 
the power of the Holy Ghost ; that he was raised up by 
this divine impulse from the chest on which he was 
sitting, and was " whirled swiftly round, like a top, for 
the space of two hours, without the least pain or incon- 
venience." We do not see on what grounds such an 
extraordinary result as this, so unmeaning, so unprofit- 
able and absurd, can properly be ascribed to the power 
of God or the power of the Holy Ghost ; especially if it 
be susceptible of explanation, as we think it can be, in a 
considerable degree at least, on any natural principles. 
We know that the Savior was full of the Holy Ghost; 
but we do not read of his being subjected to any oper- 
ation of this kind. We know, also, that the apostles, 
although they were plentifully endowed with the Di- 
vine Spirit, and under his teachings wrought various 
wonderful works, yet were never at any time made the 
subjects of such irrationalities. We have here, there- 
, fore, a mark of distinction, viz., — that various irrational 
/ and absurd results may flow from natural impressions 
and impulses, but can never flow from the true oper- 
ations of the Holy Spirit. 



,VI*D A SANCTIFIED JUDGMENT. 305 

Third. Actions which proceed from pure impulse, or 
a mere internal impression, without attendant perception 
or reflection, cannot possibly be holy actions. What 
we mean to say is, that there is a natural impossibility 
of their being such. A mere impulse, unattended by 
perception and reflection, is of the nature of an instinct ; 
and any action, done from mere blind impulse, no mat- 
ter how strong or extraordinary that impulse may be, is 
both physically and morally of the nature of an instinc- 
tive action. Now, as it is universally conceded that 
purely instinctive actions have no moral character, it is 
entirely evident that impulsive actions, which are of 
the same nature with instinctive actions, have no title 
to the denomination or character of holiness. Some 
persons seem to think, the more they act from impulse, 
especially powerful impulse, the more holy they are. 
But this, if we are correct in what has been said, is a 
great and dangerous mistake. 

Fourth. That the .Holy Spirit does sometimes act 
\ directly upon the sensibilities by exciting in them a 
purely impulsive feeling, we may probably admit. Un- 
doubtedly there are some facts, in the experience of 
pious men, which favor this view. But is it the object 
of the Holy Spirit, in originating impulsive impressions, 
to excite men to immediate action without any reflec- 
tion, or to excite them to action rationally ; that is to 
say, in connection with suitable inquiry and consider- 
ation ? This is the important question ; and tne de- 
cision of it involves great practical results. It is certainly 
reasonable to suppose, that it is not the object of the 
Holy Spirit, when he makes a direct impulsive impres- 
sion on the human mind, to lead men to act without 
perception and reflection ; but rather to stop them in 
their thoughtless and unreflecting career, and to awaken 
within them the slumbering powers of thought and 
inquiry. It is reasonable to suppose this, because, as a 
wise being, as a being acting in accordance with the 
laws of the human mind, as a being infinitely desirous 
of true holiness in men, we do not well perceive how 
26* 



306 DISTINCTION BETWEEN IMPULSES 

he can take any other course than this. The true- 
tendency, therefore, of those impressions or impulses 
which come from the Spirit of God, is to awaken men 
to a sense of their thoughtlessness, and to quicken 
within them a state of humble and holy consideration 
When such impressions and impulses are from the right 
source, we cannot doubt that the results will be of this 
character — that is to say, they will not of themselves 
lead men to direct action, but will lead them to that 
inquiry and reflection which are preparatory to action. 
But when impressions or impulses come from Satan, as 
they sometimes do, their tendency is to lead men to 
action at once, without such intermediate consideration 
Fifth. Those impulses and impressions which are 
from the Spirit of God are of a peaceful and gentle 
character. They never agitate and disturb the mind 
but, on the contrary, lay a wholesome restraint upon it 
and hold it in a state of deep solemnity and of attentive 
stillness. This is the precise state of things which i? 
needed as preparatory to the mind's perceptive and re- 
flective action. The first question of the soul, when it 
is thus arrested by the true impulses of the Holy Spirit 
j is, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? " It pauses ; 
it reflects ; it inquires ; it reads the Bible ; it watches 
j the providences of God ; it prays ; it asks for the assist- ; j 
\ance of the Holy Spirit upon its perceptions and reason- 
ings ; and it dares not take one step to the right hand 01 
to the left, until all its perceptive and reasoning powers 
have been exercised, and exercised, too, under the sanc- 
tifying guidance of the Holy Spirit. So that, although 
/we may admit that there are sensitive impressions and 
/ impulses which are from the Holy Spirit, yet they are 
| not of themselves, when they are really from that right 
and good source, guiding and controlling principles, but 
' are merely preparatory to the action of such controlling 
principles, which are to be found in the intellective 
rather than the sensitive part. And such impressions 
are to be known by the decisive mark or characteristic 
which has now been given ; viz., they are peaceable 



; 



AND A SANCTIFIED JUDGMENT. 307 

holding the mind in a state of solemn and quiet atten- 
tion. Perhaps a simple illustration will make our mean- 
ing more readily understood. A person is at a particu- 
lar time peculiarly impressed that it is his duty to visit 
another person and converse with him on the subject of 
religion. If this impression is of divine origin, it will 
not violently agitate him ; it will not lead him to action, 
whether rationally or irrationally ; it will not necessarily 
and absolutely compel him to visit the person at once, 
and without any intermediate exercise of the mind. It 
will lead him, in the first instance, to reflect, to consider 
the suggested or impressed duty in various points of 
view, to mark the openings of God's providence, and to 
pray that, in his reflections and inquiries in respect to 
duty, he may be guided by the Holy Spirit. In a word, 
the impression which he has prompts him, in the first 
instance, merely to make prayerful inquiry ; but in his 
further action he puts himself under the direction of a 
sanctified judgment ; or, if the expression be preferred, 
under the guidance of the Holy Ghost operating through 
the medium of a sanctified judgment. In accordance 
with these views, we find the following passage in the 
writings of Antonia Bourignon : "If the Holy Spirit 
inspires any thing, he will always give time to consult 
upon it with God." 

Sixth. Impressions and impulses, which are not from 
the Holy Spirit, but from some other source, such as a 
disordered imagination, the world, or the devil, are not of 
that peaceful and quiet character which has been men- 
tioned, but are hasty and violent. In violation of the 
great Scriptural maxim, "He that believeth shall 
not make haste," the person who is under this perni- 
cious influence thinks he cannot be too quick. He 
makes but little account of obstacles ; he cannot take 
time for interior examination ; he has no open eye to 
God's outward providences ; he is too impetuous, too 
much possessed by himself or by Satanic influence, to 
engage in calm and humble prayer for guidance ; in a 
word, b i rushes blindly onward just as his great adver- 



308 „ J)ISTINCTION BETWEEN IMPULSES 

sary, who is especially interested in his movements, 
would have him. 

The great plea of these persons is, that the time is 
now ; that what is to be done is to be done now ; that 
the present moment is the true moment of action. This 
is essentially true ; but there is a valuable remark of 
Fenelon, which places the doctrine of present or imme- 
diate action in its correct position. It is, that the 

PRESENT MOMENT HAS A MORAL EXTENSION. Ill Other 

words, we are undoubtedly bound to fulfil the duty of 
the present moment ; but it is the present moment, not 
in a state of barren insulation, but considered in all its 
relations to God, man, and the universe. But it is per- 
fectly obvious, that the duties of the present moment 
cannot be fulfilled in their moral extension without 
calling in the aid of a calmly reflective and sanctified 
judgmen t. 

/ Seventh. When an action is performed, to which we 
j are prompted by a gracious and not a mere natural or 
Satanic impulse, but which action is not attended with 
i all those good results which we expected and hoped 
I we are entirely acquiescent. We receive the result 
without trouble of mind. For instance, we are led, in 
the providence of God and under the guidance of the 
Holy Spirit, to converse with a person on the subject of 
religion; and, contrary to our hope and expectation, he 
coolly and superciliously rejects our message. The result, 
though painful, does not disquiet us. We leave it calm- 
ly in the hands of God. Whereas a person, who per- 
forms an action from an impulse which is not from the 
Spirit of God, and who finds the result different from 
what he expected, will be likely to experience a degree 
of unsubmissive dissatisfaction, and to show signs of fret- 
fulness. And I think it a matter of common observation, 
that Christians who are governed in a considerable de- 
gree by natural or any other impulses not divine, mis- 
taking them for a truly spiritual guidance, are, to use the 
common expression in the case, "always in trouble; " — 
sometimes with the church ; sometimes with their min- 



AND A SANCTIFIED JUDGMENT. 309 

istcr , sometimes with one thing, and sometimes with 
another ; and alas ! not unfrequently, although they seem 
to be wholly unaware of it, with the wisely-ordered 
providences of God himself. They are not childlike, 
and meek, and lowiy in heart, as those always are who 
are truly guided by the Holy Spirit. They are not like 
the Savior, who, when he was oppressed and afflicted, 
opened not his mouth, but was led as a lamb to the 
slaughter. 

Eighth. We are continually taught by good men in 
the Bible, that we ought to be like our heavenly Father, 
to be holy as he is holy, to be perfect as he is perfect. 
And I suppose it is the general design and aim of Chris- 
tians, who are striving after high attainments in holi- 
ness, to bear this blessed image. But probably we do 
not any of us conceive of God as acting impulsively 
and without reflection ; as regulating his conduct by the 
stupid instinct of impressions, without the clear light of 
perceptive rationality. We should be deeply afflicted 
and affrighted in being obliged to ascribe to our heaven- 
ly Father such a character as this. Similar views will 
apply to the Savior. He himself says, John v. 30, " I 
can of mine own self do nothing. As I hear, I judge ; 
[that is to say, the communications of the Holy Spirit 
call my judgment into exercise] and my judgment is 
just, because [implying in the remark that he was unin- 
fluenced by any suggestions and impressions from self] 
I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father 
which hath sent me." Are we not safe, then, if God 
desires and requires us to be like himself, and to be like') 
Him also, whom, in the likeness of man, he has set be- 
fore us as our example, in saying that a judgment 
enlightened by the Holy Spirit is the true guide of 
our actions, rather than blind impulses and impressions ? 

It will be recollected that we do not absolutely deny 
the occasional existence of impulses and impressions 
resulting from the operations of the Spirit of God. But 
we cannot well avoid the conclusion, that they are 
entitled to no influence, and are not designed to have 



'6 10 DISTINCTION BETWEEN IMPULSES 

any, except in connection with the subsequent action 
of an awakened and sanctified judgment. And it is 
this view only which can rescue them from the impu- 
tation of blindness and irrationality, even when they 
come from a good and right source. When, therefore, 
we speak of them as blind and irrational, we wish to 
be understood as speaking of them as they are in them- 
selves, and without being enlightened by the subse- 
quent action of a sanctified intellect. The subsequent 
action of the mind, which may always be expected tc 
follow when they come from the Holy Spirit, cannot 
fail to impart to them a new and interesting character. 

In conclusion, we would remark, that the doctrine of 
present sanctification has much to fear from not accu- 
rately distinguishing natural and Satanic impulses from 
the true movings of the Holy Spirit upon the heart. 
Many, who ran well for a time, but who afterwards 
yielded themselves to impulsive influences which were 
not from the Spirit of God, have wandered into per- 
plexed and divergent paths, to the injury of the cause 
of holiness and of their own souls. And we would 
//just remark here, that the most interesting and satis- 
/f factory illustrations of holy living which have come 
(1 under our notice are the cases of persons who endeavoi 
| constantly to put themselves under the direction of a 
sanctified intellect ; who are willing to do any thing 
and every thing for the glory of God ; but who feel 
I that they need and must have wisdom. These persons 
| can testify that they are guided by the Holy Spirit ; 
but they can testify, also, that the Holy Spirit does not 
require them to do any thing which an enlightened and 
sanctified intellect does not appreciate and approve. 
And hence their course is marked by consistency and 
sound discretion. They are not different men at differ- 
ent times, on whom no dependence can be j'Jaced. 
They are always at their post ; supporters of tho min- 
\ istry j pillars in the church ; patient under opposition 
i ; and rebuke ; faithful in warning sinners ; counsellors 
y in times of difficulty ; mightv in the Scriptures ; bum 



AND A SANCTIFIED JUDGMENT. 3U 

I ing and shining lights in the world. It is such persons/ 

\ that truly sustain and honor the blessed doctrine of 

holiness ; presenting before the world the mighty 

argument of consistent holy living, which unbelievers 

cannot confute, and which the wicked and the envious 

\ are unable to gainsay. 



312 



CHAPTER FIFTH. 

ON SPIRITUAL COOPERATION WITH GOD. 



It is very obvious that man, considered as a rational 
and voluntary being, is designed for action. And when 
we consider the relation of entire dependence which 
man sustains to his Creator, it is no less obvious that 
human action ought to assume and to maintain the 
shape of cooperation with God. This is designed to 
be, and it ought to be, the great object of our life, viz., 

COOPERATION WITH GOD. 

'First. In endeavoring to ascertain the principles of 
this important subject, we remark, in the first place, that 
we are not to undertake to decide for ourselves (that 
is to say, by a reference to our own wishes merely) 
what we are to do, and what we are not to do. 'Such 
a course would exhibit a disposition to cooperate with 
ourselves, if we may so express it, rather than with 
God. On the contrary, realizing deeply the general 
fact of our liability to error, we should ever be in that 
state of mind which will lead us, with meekness and 
simplicity, to inquire what our heavenly Father will 
have us to do. We should have no choice of our own, 
which shall be, in any degree whatever, at variance 
with his choice. The thing to be done, whatever it 
may be, must be left with him. This is one condition 
on which we can cooperate with God, and without 
which it is evident that no acceptable cooperation with 
him can take place. 

Second. We are not, in the second place, while we 
leave to God to ascertain the object to be done, to 
undertake, of ourselves, to prescrite the time of doing 



ON SPIRITUAL COOPERATION WITH GOD. 313 

it. God has not only a work to be done, but he also 
has a time of doing it. His time is the right time ; 
and no other time is. David was willing to build a 
house of worship for the Lord. But the time which 
Infinite Wisdom prescribed for this great work had not 
arrived ; and, in the spirit of acquiescence, he left it 
to his successor. In repeated instances, the Savior 
expressed the sentiment, that " his hour was not yet 
come ; " implying, very evidently, that the great events 
of his life, whether of action or of suffering, had their 
appropriate time ; and neither the protestations of 
friends, nor the dictation of enemies, could induce him 
to violate the maxims of true wisdom, by anticipating, 
even for a moment, that appropriate period. If, there- 
fore, we gird ourselves for action, however good the 
object to be done may be, either before the appropriate 
time or after it, we do not cooperate with God, who 
always acts precisely at the right time. This is a point 
which it is very important to remember. Persons are 
.more likely to fall into error here than in the particular 
which was first mentioned. There is a sort of latent 
feeling, (a very unrighteous feeling it is,) that if God is 
permitted exclusively to designate the object, we should 
have some degree of liberty in exercising our own wis- 
dom, either partially or wholly, in the designation of 
the time. In other words, we are apt to feel that a less 
perfect submission is required in regard to the time 
than in regard to the object. This tendency must be 
carefully guarded against. 

Third. We are not, in the third place, while we 
leave to God to ascertain the object to be done and the 
time of doing it, to undertake to decide for ourselves as 
to the manner of doing it. We know how it is in 
ordinary life. A servant sometimes, or even a son, will 
do what the master or father has commanded, and do it 
at the right time ; but will do it, perhaps, with excite- 
ment and rudeness of feeling, without true cordiality of 
heart, and that laborious care which might reasonably 
bo expected* It is true that we have here the cssen- 



314 ON SPIRITUAL COOPERATION WITH GOD. 

tials of a visible and operative cooperation ; but it ia 
evident that we have not that higher inward and men- 
tal cooperation which God requires. We must coop- 
erate cordially. If we are associated with others, we 
must be willing to take the first place or the last place, 
to act as leader or servant, just as God chooses. We 
must also take any part of the work which God sees fit 
to impose upon us ; that which is esteemed low and 
degrading, as well as that which is more agreeable to 
refinement of taste and to prevailing notions of honor 
and dignity. In every thing of this kind, and in every 
thing else which can properly be included in the manner 
of doing what God imposes, we are required to follow, 
cheerfully and unhesitatingly, the indications of the 
Divine Will — otherwise there is no true cooperation. 

Fourth. In order to realize, personally, the conditions 
of divine cooperation which have been mentioned, it is 
necessary to be, mentally, in a state of passivity, as it 
is sometimes expressed ; or, more properly and truly, of 
strict impartiality before God. In other words, we 
must be willing to submit ourselves to the divine guid- 
ance, without the least resistance or bias of mind ; 
remaining in the attitude of silent and sincere waiting 
upon God, that we may learn from him what he would 
have us to do; and also at what time and in what man- 
ner. The language of our souls must be essentially 
that of the Psalmist, when he exclaimed, " My soul, 
wait thou only upon the Lord ; for my expectation is 
from him." And it is implied in this, especially, that 
our m'lxas should not be under the influence of preju- 
dice or of wrong passion in any form. When the mind 
has arrived at the state of entire submission and of 
holy impartiality, resulting in the removal of the stains 
of prejudice and the shades of passion, it resembles a 
clear and bright mirror, reflecting easily and distinctly 
the desires and purposes of God. In this state of mind 
it is easy to leave every thing with him ; to receive 
from him, implicitly, the annunciation of the thing to 
be done, and also all the attendant conditions of doing 



ON SPIRITUAL, COOPERATION WITH GOD, 315 

it. God is pleased to be present with, and to operate in, 
such a soul. The Holy Spirit teaches it ; and it has 
both the power to hear and the spirit to obey. But in 
any other condition of mind there must, necessarily, be 
a conflict between the agitated and self-interested will 
of the creature and the decisions of the Supreme Mind. 

Fifth. When we enter into the state of cooperation 
with God, we must feel that our agency is entirely 
dependent and secondary in all the subsequent progress 
of the work, whatever it is, not less than in its incipient 
stages. I know that man has will, and that he has 
power. It would be a great error to deny or to doubt 
it. But it is equally true, that he is dependent ; and 
that, in a very important sense, he has nothing. We 
must, therefore, not only begin in our nothingness, 
but must be willing to remain in it. It is a partnership 
where we must realize, that not only all the capital, 
but, when properly considered, that all the personal 
operative power, are from one source. Man works, it 
is true ; but God works in him. Man working with- 
out God's working, as the basis of it, is of no avail. 
Man's strength is in God's strength. Hence there must 
be no undue anxiety, no unsuitable and excited eager- 
ness, no methods and plans of action originated and 
prosecuted on worldly principles; which necessarily 
imply some distrust of the skill and resources of the 
great Being who has thus condescended to work by 
means of human instrumentality. We must move 
when God moves ; stop when he stops ; deliberate 
when he deliberates ; act when he acts. Any assump- 
tion, on our part, of superior wisdom or strength — any 
disposition to move in anticipation of his movement, or 
in any way to forestall the divine intimations — would 
be getting not only out of the position of dependence 
and nothingness, but out of the line of cooperation. 

Sixth. As closely connected with what has already 
been said, and in accordance with the commonly- 
received doctrine of "preventing" or prevenient grace. 
we remark further, that, in cooperating with God, i 



316 ON SPIRITUAL COOPERATION WITH GOD. 

sseems to be necessary that we should be in a state of 
ecipiency rather than of communication. In other 
vords, it being admitted that we have nothing of our 
)\vn which we can communicate or give to God, it 
would seem to follow that our cooperation, so far as it 
has an existence at all, must depend upon the fact of 
our receiving from him. Accordingly, it seems to be 
our great duty, by meekness and simplicity of heart — 
by freedom from worldly vanities, and entire self-renun- 
ciation — to put ourselves in the true receptive attitude. 
We must remember, especially as unbelief is apt to find 
its way in at this entrance, that God is always ready to 
communicate himself. We need not fear that our divine 
Associate in this great copartnership will be found 
wanting. On the contrary, it is his desire, his de- 
light, his highest happiness, to communicate himself; 
and the reason why he does not communicate himself 
to all men at once, is the existence, in their bosoms, 
of obstacles which they themselves have voluntarily 
placed there ; so that the highest honor and the high- 
est power of man is, having put away these obstacles, 
to wait upon God, in the exercise of simple faith, for the 
reception of the divine sufficiency. 

But some will perhaps inquire, in connection with 
the views now presented, Shall we remain inactive ? 1 
reply, that man is justly and efficiently active when he 
is active in communication with God, and yet remain- 
ing deeply in his own sphere of nothingness. Man 
never acts to higher and nobler purpose than when, in 
the realization of his own comparative nihility, he 
places himself in the receptive position, and lets God 
work in him. He who is receptive is neither idle nor 
unprofitable. In the intercourse between man and his 
Maker, it is the receptive, and not the communicative 
activity, which is the source of truth, riches, and power. 
The religious man, in his receptive activity, is like the 
earth, (so far as we can compare things mental with 
material.) which receives into its ploughed and ex- 
panded bosom the morning dew, and the summer 



ON SPIRITUAL COOPERATION WITH GOD. 31? 

shower, and the daily sunshine ; that thus, by being 
prepared to receive them, and by being endowed with 
abundant communications from without and above, it 
may, subsequently, become rich in itself, and in its 
own vitality, as it were, be crowned with fruit and 
flower. Or perhaps we may say, more appropriately, 
that he is like those scholars who are impressed with a 
sense of their own inferiority and ignorance, and are 
willing to sit patiently and humbly at the feet of their 
distinguished teachers, that they may grow in knowl- 
edge. Their minds are receptive, but not inert — are 
in the attitude of listening, but are not idle. They 
ultimately, in the way of cooperation with what they 
have received, become fruitful in themselves ; but it is 
only because they are humble and attentive recipients 
in the first instance. 

Seventh. Besides that cooperation in particular emer- 
gencies, which has already been remarked upon, we 
may observe further, that God requires a constant coop- 
eration — a cooperation moment by moment — what 
some writers have ^described as u living to God by the 
moment.^' It is a universal law, unalterable as God is, 
and lasting as eternity, that no created being can be 
truly holy, useful, or happy, who is knowingly and 
deliberately out of the line of divine cooperation even 
for a moment. Accordingly, we are to consider every 
moment as consecrated to God. It is true that, in 
order to the full and assured life of God in the soul, 
there must be the general act of consecration, which 
has already been explained in a former part of this 
work, and which is understood to relate to a man's 
whole nature, and to cover the whole ground of time 
and eternity. And we may say further, that it is 
proper to recall distinctly to mind, and to repeat at 
suitable times, the general act of consecration ; but it 
does not appear .to be necessary, in the strict sense of 
the terms, or in any other sense than that of repeating 
it, to renew it, unless it has been, at some period, really 
withdrawn. But while the general act remains good, 
27* 



318 ON SPIRITUAL COOPERATION WITH GOD. 

and diffuses its consecrative influence over the whole 
course of our being, it is necessary to consecrate our- 
selves in particulars, as the events or occasions of such 
particular consecration may successively arise. And in 
the remark, as we now wish it to be understood, we do 
not mean merely those events which, while they are 
distinct, are peculiarly marked and important ; but all 
events, of whatever character. In other words, although 
we may have consecrated ourselves to God in a general 
way, and by a universal act of consecration, in all 
respects, and for all time, we must still consecrate our- 
selves to him in each separate duty and trial which his 
providence imposes, and moment by moment. The 
present moment, therefore, is, in a special sense, the 
important moment — the divine moment — the moment 
which we cannot safely pass without having the divine 
blessing upon it. 

Thus extensive is the doctrine of divine cooperation, 
when it is rightly understood. How thankful should 
we be, thus to be permitted to enter into partnership, 
insignificant as we are, and to become co-workers, with 
God ! Such was the life of Enoch, of Abraham, of 
Daniel, of John, of Paul. How the idea of the life of 
man, thus united with the life and activity of God, 
throws discouragement and dishonor upon all low and 
grovelling pursuits, and at once elevates and sanctifies 
our nature ! 



319 



CHAPTER SIXTH. 
E\iDENCES OF BEING GUIDED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT 



It is the object of the present chapter — without pro- 
fessing, however, or attempting, to exhaust the subject — 
to lay down some of the marks or evidences of being 
guided by the Holy Spirit. 

And, accordingly, we proceed to remark, in the first 
place, that the person who is guided by the Holy Spirit 
will be eminently perceptive and rational. The opera- 
tions of the Holy Spirit, in the agency which he exerts 
for the purpose of enlightening and guiding men, will 
not be found to be accidental, or arbitrary, or, in any 
sense, irrational operations. It is hardly necessary to 
say here, after what has been said in the chapter on 
the Distinction between Impulses and a Sanctified Judg- 
ment, that the Holy Spirit is not an ignorant, but a wise 
Being — not an agent that is moved by unenlightened 
impulse, but by perfect knowledge. And this being 
the case, it is a natural supposition, and one which will 
be generally assented to, that his operations will always 
exist in accordance with, and not in opposition to, the 
laws of the human mind. And, furthermore, according 
to the Scriptures, a primary and leading office, though 
not the only office of the Holy Spirit, is to teach men 
— to lead them into the truth. And if so, then, ordi- 
narily, the first operation will be upon the intellect, in 
distinction from the sensibilities and the will. And we 
do not hesitate to say, in point of fact, and as a matter 
of personal experience, that the person who is guided 
by the Holy Spirit will find that this divine agent does, 
in reality, impart an increased clearness to the intellect- 



320 EVIDENCES OF BEING GUIDED 

ual or cognitive part of the mind. This divine opeia- 
tion is, for the most part, very gentle and deeply inte- 
rior ; revealing itself by its results more than by the 
mere mode of its action ; but it is not, on that account, 
any the less real. It seems to put a keenness of edge 
if we may so express it, upon the natural perceptivity, 
so as to enable it to separate idea from idea, proposi- 
tion from proposition ; and thus to guide it, with a 
remarkable niceness of discrimination, through the 
perplexities of error, into the regions of truth. We 
repeat, therefore, that one evidence of being guided b} 
the Holy Spirit is, that such guidance contributes to 
the highest rationality ; in other words, the person 
who is guided by the Holy Spirit (other things being 
equal) will be the most keenly perceptive, judicious, 
and rational; not nighty and precipitate — not preju- 
diced, one-sided, and dogmatical — but, like his great 
inward Teacher, calmly and divinely cognitive. The 
experience of holy men, particularly of those who have 
made it a practice to ask the guidance of the Holy 
Spirit on their studies, agrees with this statement. 

Second. We observe, in the second place, that the per- 
son who is guided by the Holy Spirit will possess a 
quickly operative and effective conscience. This is too 
obvious to require much remark. It seems to be impos- 
sible that a man should be guided by the Holy Spirit, 
and not experience a purified and renovated activity of 
the moral sense. This important result is what might 
naturally be expected, among other things, from the re- 
sult on our intellectual nature which has already been 
indicated. It is well known that the conscience oper- 
ates in connection with the intellect, and subsequent in 
time. There must necessarily be certain intellectual 
data or facts, as the basis of the inward conscientious 
movement. And in accordance with this law, in propor- 
tion as the truth, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, 
develops itself from the intellect with greater and 
greater clearness, the action of the conscience becomes 
increasingly distinct, sensitive, and energetic. It be- 



BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. 321 

comes a sort of flaming sword in the soul, and keeps it 
in the way of life. Accordingly, on this principle, no 
man, who has a dull and sleepy conscience, a rough and 
blunted edge of moral perceptivity, is at liberty to say 
that he is guided by the Holy Ghost. 

Third. When we are led by the Holy Spirit, there 
will be a subdued, tranquil, and well-regulated state of 
the natural sensibilities, in distinction from the moral sen- 
sibilities or conscience ; that is to say, of the various 
appetites, the propensive principles, and the affections. It 
is well understood, that when we are led by the world or 
by Satan, the various natural propensities and affections 
which constitute what we understand by the natural 
sensibilities are, in general, ill regulated, agitated, and 
turbulent. A really worldly man is either externally or 
internally an agitated man ; generally in movement, and 
generally discordant with himself; resembling the trou- 
bled sea, and casting up to the surface of his spirit mire 
and dirt. On the contrary, he who is led by the Holy 
Spirit, with the exception of those occasional agitations 
arising from purely instinctive impulses, which do not 
recognize the control of reason and the will, is always 
subdued, patient, quiet. His natural propensities, which, 
in persons who have not experienced the same grace, are 
so turbulent and violent, run peaceably and appropriately 
in the channels which God has assigned to them. His 
natural affections, which so often become the masters 
and tyrants of the mind, submit to the authority of con- 
science and the will. The inroads and shocks of the. 
heaviest afflictions pass over him, and leave his inward 
submission and his peace unbroken. A divine tranquil- 
lity is written upon the emotions and desires — upon the 
affections that linger upon the past, and upon the hopes 
that move onward to the future. In this respect, being 
under this divine and transcendent teaching, he is like 
his heavenly Father. The Infinite Mind is always 
tranquil. 

Fourth. We remark, again, that the teachings of the 
Holy Spirit will have a tendency to beautify and perfect 



322 EVIDENCES OE BEING GUIDED 

the outward manner, as well as the inward experience. 
And accordingly he who is truly under this divine direc- 
tion will always find his conduct characterized by the 
utmost decency, propriety, and true courteousness. I 
believe it is a common remark, that a truly devout and 
holy person may, in general, be easily recognized by the 
outward manner. And this remark, which is confirmed 
by experience, has its foundation in nature. The natu- 
ral life, which is inordinately full of self, and is often 
prompted in its movements by passion, pride, and preju- 
dice, will of course develop itself in an outward manner 
as extravagant, inconsistent, and imperfect, as the in- 
ward source from which it springs. Hence it is that we 
so often see, in the intercourse of man with man, so 
much that shocks our notions of propriety ; so much, in 
word or in action, that is characterized by violence or 
levity ; so much that is unsuitable to the time and place. 
But he, on the contrary, in whom the natural life is slain, 
and in the centre of whose heart the Holy Spirit has 
taken up his residence, to inspire it with truth and love, 
will discover an outward manner as true, as simple, and 
as beautiful, as the inward perfection from which it has 
its origin. A voice inspired with gentleness and love ; 
a countenance not only free from the distortions of pas- 
sion, but radiant with inward peace ; a freedom from un- 
becoming gayety and thoughtless mirth ; a propriety of 
expression resulting from seriousness of character ; a dis- 
position to bear meekly and affectionately with the in- 
iirmities of others ; a placid self-possession ; an unaffected 
but strict regard to the proprieties of time, place, and 
station, — can hardly fail to impress upon the outward 
beholder a conviction of the purity and power which 
dwell within. 

Fifth, We proceed to say, further, that he who is 
under the guidance of the Holy Spirit will always find 
himself in the position of coincidence and union with 
the divine providences. He will not only be in harmo- 
ny with whatever is true and beautiful in human inter- 
course, but there will also be no jarring and no points 



BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. 323 

ef discordant contact between his conduct and the 
unerring consecution of providential dispensations. This 
will be sufficiently obvious, we suppose, after what has 
been said in some of the preceding chapters, without 
going into any length of remark. It is unquestionable 
that the will of God is made known, to a considerable 
extent, in his providential dealings. Consequently, the 
language of the Holy Spirit will never, in any case ; 
contradict the correctly interpreted language of divine 
Providence. On the contrary, they will always com- 
pletely, and, as they have but one author, will necessarily, 
harmonize. To illustrate the subject, the Holy Spirit 
will never instruct an individual to give to religious pur- 
poses a certain amount of property, when the providence 
of God, by taking away his property, has rendered the 
donation an impossibility. Again, the Holy Spirit will 
never, by an interior teaching, instruct a man to go upon 
a distant missionary enterprise, when at the same time 
the providence of God, by placing him on a bed of sick- 
ness, has rendered him incapable of the requisite physical 
and mental exertion. And if any impressions or convic- 
tions, which thus involve a contradiction of the voice of 
the Spirit and the voice of Providence, should rest upon 
the mind of any person, he may be assured that they 
come from a wrong source, and ought to be rejected. 
We assert, therefore, that he who is led by the Holy 
Spirit will find his conduct beautifully harmonizing with 
the events of divine providence, as they daily and hourly 
develop themselves. In other words, while he is con- 
tinually led by the inward guidance to do and to suffer 
the divine will, he always finds himself acting and suf- 
fering in cooperation with the manifested designs and 
arrangements of God. 

Sixth. He who is led by the Holy Spirit will find 
his conduct, just so far as he is the subject of this divine 
guidance, in entire harmony with the teachings of the 
Scriptures. It has already been intimated that the voice 
of the Spirit can never be contradictory to itself. And 
accordingly, having spoken in the Scriptures, it can never 



324 EVIDENCES OF BEING GUIDED 

contradict what it has there said by any interior revela- 
tion to individual minds. If, for instance, the Scriptures, 
dictated by the divine Spirit, have, for wise and adequate 
purposes, authorized and required the specific observance 
of the Lord's day, and have authorized and required the 
setting apart of the ministry, or have recognized and 
established other institutions and ordinances, it would 
be unreasonable to suppose that the same Spirit, in 
contradiction to himself, will guide individual minds to 
a disregard and contempt of those institutions. And in 
like manner, if the Bible, in any case of specific and 
personal action, requires a thing either to be done or to 
be omitted to be done, the Holy Spirit, operating on in- 
dividual minds, will teach the same thing, and will 
always lead the subject of his operations to the perform- 
ance in the one case, and to the omission in the other. 
And in all cases whatever, as the Holy Spirit speaking 
in the heart, and the Holy Spirit speaking in the Bible, 
necessarily utter the same voice, they will necessarily, in 
their ultimate tendencies, lead to the same result. 

And we may remark further, in connection with what 
has now been said, that he who is led by the Spirit will 
love to be led by the Spirit. It will be his delight. 
And under the influence of this divine attraction, he will 
earnestly strive to ascertain the mind of the Spirit. And 
consequently, he will be led to the Bible, as one of the 
most valuable means of ascertaining it ; he will read it 
much ; he will read it with seriousness, candor, and 
prayer j that he may know the length and breadth of the 
divine communications which are there made. And the 
pleasing and important result will be, that his life will 
be characterized by the same traits of submission and 
love, of regard for the divine institutions and precepts, 
of prompt and consistent action and cf mighty faith, 
which adorn the lives of those of whom the Scriptures 
give us an account. 

Finally. We may remark in conclusion, and as in 
some sense embracing the whole subject : It is an evi- 
dence that a person is guided by the Holy Spirit, whose 



BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. 32 J 

vv/iole conduct, whether considered in its particulars or 
in its general outline, has a distinctly favorable bearing 
on the promotion of God's glory in the world. The end 
of all things is the glory of God. In the promotion of 
this great object, God the Holy Ghost cooperates with 
God the Father and God the Son. The Holy Ghost, 
therefore, recognizes and enforces the great truth that all 
subordinate tendencies, that all inferior and private inter- 
ests, whenever they receive a corrected and sanctified 
direction, will always converge to the same centre, and 
will never reach their terminus, if we may so express it, 
except in the bosom of the adorable Infinite. To ;his 
great result all his interior and individual teachings in- 
fallibly tend. To know all things, and to love all things, 
in God ; to annihilate self in all the various form.'; of 
creature--love and of self-will, and to make God the 
great centre of our being ; this only is true wisdom and 
everlasting life. He, therefore, who is led by the tuxh- 
ings of the Holy Ghost, will be taught that he oust 
think for God, feel for God, will for God, act for Ccd; 
and that the great reality of God, which is the tru<; be- 
ginning and completion of all religious life, must fc* 
received into the soul as the paramount motive ; ? id 
with a power to expel all subordinate motives, and to 
reign there forever with supreme dominion. 

Such are some of the marks by which thosn may be 
known who are led by the Divine Spirit. These are a 
hidden people. They have intimacy with the Highest ; 
but they are, nevertheless, the little ones, that are almost 
unknown among men.- Rational with the highest de- 
gree of rationality, scrupulously conscientious, ever desi- 
rous to learn the will of God as manifested in his Word 
and providences, modest and sincerely courteous and 
becoming in their intercourse with their fellow-men, and 
governed under all circumstances by a supreme regard to 
God's glory, they pass calmly and devoutly through the 
world, blessed in themselves and a blessing to others. 
And yet the people of the world, blinded by heir unbe- 
lief, but little know and little value that intc jor instruct 
2« 



326 EVIDENCES OF BEING GUIDED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT 

{ tion, by which they are thus guided to the illuminated 
heights of evangelical perfection. Happy is he who is 
led, not by mere sights and sounds ; not by strange and 
momentary impressions, which may come from the dis- 
ordered senses, from the world, or from the devil ; but 
by that clear light which illuminates the intellect, the 
conscience, and the heart ; which is ever consistent with 
itself and with God's Word and providences ; and 
which has, in reality, for its author, the Comforter, the 
Holy Ghost. 



« Eternal Spirit I God of truth ! 

Our contrite hearts inspire ; 
Kindle the flame of heavenly lore, 

And feed the pure desire. 

«* 'Tis thine to soothe the sorrowing mind, 
With guilt and fear oppressed ; 

Tis thine to bid the dying live, 
And give the weary rest." 



327 



CHAPTER SEVENTH. 



ON THi STATE OF INWARD RECOLLECTION. 



I believe it is the case that all those, who have had 
much experience in the principles and methods of inte- 
rior living, agree in attaching a very great importance to 
the state of inward recollection. It is certainly diffi- 
cult to meet the crosses and trials of life with composure, 
and to sustain the soul on other occasions in purity and 
peace, without the aid of inwardly recollected habits of 
mind. However sincere may be our desire for entire 
devotedness of heart, and whatever resolutions we may 
form with that view, we shall often find ourselves in 
confusion of spirit, and inadvertently failing in the ful- 
filment of our own resolutions, without this important 
aid. 

Inward recollection is that serious and collected 
state of mind, in which God is realized and felt as the 
inward and present counsellor, guide, and judge of all 
our actions, both internal and external. In its results, 
when it becomes the fixed habit of the soul, it not only 
restores God to the inward possession, and establishes 
him upon the throne of the intellect and heart, but, 
differing from that condition in which he comes in 
broken and fragmentary visits, it sustains him there es- 
sentially, without interruption, in what may be termed a 
continuance or perpetuity of presence. In a word, it is 
the devoutly and practically realized presence of God in 
the soul, moment by moment. This is the state of mind 
which we cannot hesitate in saying all Christians ought 
to be in. It is hardly necessary to say, that it is a scrip- 
tural state of mind. It is obviously implied and taught 



328 ON THE STATE OF 

in those numerous passages of Scripture, which inculcate 
the duty of watchfulness, which speak of setting the 
Lord always before us, of walking with God, and of our 
inability to do any thing without him. And it is not 
more agreeable to God's Word than it is suited to man's 
condition ; not more scriptural than it is necessary. We 
need it in order to know what to do. We need it in 
order to do what is proper and necessary to be done, in 
a just, Christian, and holy manner. We need it in all 
times and places, and in small things as well as great ; 
since there are no times and places from which God 
ought to be excluded, and nothing is so small, that it 
may not have great and important relations. 

It will be objected, perhaps, that the state of inward 
recollection, considered as a state of long continuance, 
and still more as perpetual, is an impracticable one. 
Whatever it may be to others, (and undoubtedly it is a 
state of mind which is never experienced either in the 
absence of religion or in a low state of religion,) it is 
certainly not impracticable to a person of a truly devout 
spirit. But how can it be possible, says the objector, 
inasmuch as the religious life is made up, in a great de- 
gree, of specific religious duties, that a person can give 
the attention of his mind to those duties, and be occu- 
pied with the distinct idea of God at the same time? 
The difficulty which is implied in this objection, what- 
ever may be its reality or its extent, is met and obviated, 
at least for all practical purposes, by an acknowledged 
law of our mental nature. We refer tothe principle or 
law of habit. By means of this law, the rapidity of the 
mental action may be increased to a degree almost in- 
conceivable ; so much so that actions, which are distinct 
in time, will appear to be simultaneous ; and objects, 
which are separately attended to, will appear to be em- 
braced in one mental view. And so far as all practical 
purposes are concerned, the acts of the mind, which 
thus separately and successively take place, may be truly 
regarded as one act. And applying this law. to the 
state of inward recollection, we may easily see how th'» 



INWARD RECOLLECTION. 32S 

mind may be occupied with a specific duty, and may at 
the same time be percipient of the divine presence, and 
may also connect the two together, and impart to them a 
character of unity, so that the duty may properly be 
said to be done in a religiously-recollected state. The 
movement of the mind in relation to the duty, and then 
hi relation to God as cognizant of the duty, and the 
transition from one to the other, are all so exceedingly 
rapid, that memory does not ordinarily separate and 
recognize them as distinct acts ; and thus, in our appre- 
hension and consciousness of them, they are blended 
together as one. God, therefore, in our mental contem- 
plation of him, may be made present to all our specific 
duties ; and thus the essential condition is fulfilled, which 
enables the mind to exist in the state of inward recol- 
lection. It is our privilege, therefore, — a privilege too 
often undervalued and neglected, — to do every thing 
which Christian duty requires, as in the divine pres- 
ence, in God and for God. We proceed now to specify 
some of those antecedent conditions or tendencies of 
mind, which may properly be regarded as preparatory, 
and even indispensable, to the state of inward rec- 
ollection. 

(I.) In the first place, there must be a sincere and 
earnest desire to possess it. This eminent grace, with- 
out which the kingdom of God in the soul will be liable 
to constant irruptions and overthrows, will never be 
possessed by a heart that is indifferent to its possession. 
It can belong to those, and those only, who, with a sin- 
cere disposition to seek God in all things, can be truly 
said to " hunger and thirst after righteousness." 

(II.) In the second place, in order to possess recollec- 
tion of spirit, it will be necessary not to be involved, 
to an undue extent, in the perplexities of worldly busi- 
ness. There is such a thing as admitting so much of 
the world and its cares into the mind, as to crowd out 
the great idea of God. Indeed, this is often done. And 
thus men, and some of them, too, who occasionally ob- 
serve the formalities of religion, become practical athe- 
28* 



330 ON THE STATE OF 

ists. I notice, in reading the religious writings of An- 
tonia Bourignon, that she expresses her opinion to one 
of her correspondents, that God had sent a certain afflic- 
tion upon him, in order to bring him to the state of 
mind which we are now considering. " The multitude 
of your comings and goings," she remarks among other 
things, " and other agitations of body, do, without doubt, 
disturb the inward recollection. It is impossible to 
converse purely with God, [that is to say, when we per- 
mit them to have their natural effect upon us,] in the 
midst of external agitations." And again she says, in 
writing to another person, " If you could but proceed in 
this affair, keeping your spirit recollected in God, I doubt 
not but it would succeed to his glory and your great good. 
I speak always of this recollection; because I myself 
can do nothing out of it. God's spirit is a well-regula- 
ted, orderly spirit, which proceeds with temperance, and 
weight, and measure, and discretion, without any man- 
ner of precipitation." * 

(III.) In the third place, in order to possess inward 
recollection, we are to have nothing to do, as a general 
rule, in thought or in feeling, or in any other way, with 
any thing but the present moment, and its natural and 
necessary relations. Discursive thoughts of a flighty 
and purely imaginative character — either going back to 
the past, for the mere purpose of drawing pleasure from 
it, or prospective and anticipative of the future in the 
manner of an idle man's reverie — are great hinderances 
to a recollected state. We are, in that way, rather pleas- 
ing ourselves than God ; and the divine presence cannot 
well be secured at such times. In other words, as a 
general rule, there must be before us some present object ; 
and that object must be regarded by us particularly in its 
moral aspect and relations. The present moment is ne- 
cessarily, to a certain extent, a declaration of the divine 
will, and furnishes the basis of present duty. And it 
is the duty of the present moment, considered in its 

* Bourignon's Light in Darkness, pp. 12, 132 



INWARD RECOLLECTION. 331 

moral extension, to which, and to which only, God wiF. 
consent to be a party. 

(IV.) It may be added, further, that the state of mind 
which we are considering will not be likely to be pos- 
sessed without great fixedness of purpose ; a holy inflex- 
ibility of will, which keeps the mind steady to its object. 
We must not only wish to be the Lord's in this matter, 
but resolve to be so. It is well understood that even 
worldly objects, restricted as they are in compass and 
importance, cannot, in general, be satisfactorily accom- 
plished by an unfixed and vacillating mind. And still 
less can the vast objects of religion. I know, if the 
great object of interior recollection is proposed to be se- 
cured by the mere labor of the will alone, without the 
cooperation of the affections, it will be hard work, and 
useless work too. And, on the other hand, a favorable 
posture of the affections will be of but little avail, un- 
less the desires and inclinations are aided by the super- 
added energy of a fixed determination. But when the 
decisive and uncompromising act of the will combines its 
influence with that of the aspirations of the heart, the 
most favorable results may, with the grace of God, be 
reasonably expected. It is true, without the grace of 
God nothing can be done, whatever may be the applica- 
tions and discipline of the mind. But when the condi- 
tions which have been mentioned are fulfilled, the di- 
vine assistance, if we may rely upon the promises, can 
never be wanting. 

(1.) It has already been intimated, that the state of 
mind to which our attention has been directed is one 
of great practical importance. And we proceed, there- 
fore, to observe now, that one of the benefits connected 
with the state of inward recollection is, that it is favor- 
able to the best improvement of time. It will be a mat- 
ter of course, that the person who lives in religious recol- 
lection will avoid unnecessary employments. With the 
idea of God, and perhaps we may add with the reality 
of God, continually present in his heart, scrutinizing 
every motive and actio i, and continually enforcing the 



332 ON THE STATE OF 

claims of moral obligation, he will find no time to be 
spent idly, nor for the mere purposes of pleasure. Nor 
can he under such circumstances be the subject of inter- 
nal dissipation ; of vain and wandering imaginations 
and reveries; but will be enabled, to a degree unknown 
before, to bring every thought, as well as every feeling, 
into subjection. In order to prevent misapprehension, 
it may properly be added here, that whatever recreation 
of body or mind, either by social intercourse or in any 
other way, is really required by the physical and mental 
constitution and laws, is entirely consistent with duty 
and with inward recollection — a remark, however, 
which requires, in its practical application, no small 
share of wisdom. 

(2.) Again, the state of inward recollection tends to 
diminish greatly the occasions of temptation. It is very 
obvious that he who knows nothing but his present duty 
in itself and in its relations, which is all that is necessary 
for him to know, cannot be so much exposed in this 
respect as other persons. Unspeakable dangers must, 
of necessity, beset the mind which is full of worldly 
activity, and which is continually discursive — running 
upon errands where it is not called ; curiously and un- 
necessarily speculative ; prying oftentimes, with micro- 
scopic minuteness, into the concerns of others, not only 
without reason, but against reason. What a flood of 
tempting thoughts must flow out upon these various occa- 
sions, and throng around the mind ! what suggestions, 
which Satan knows well when and where to apply, to 
envy, distrust, anger, pride, worldly pleasure, ambition ! 
none of which probably would have approached the 
mind that remained recollected in God. 

(3.) Another remark is, that inward recollection helps 
us to know the truth, especially moral truth. The 
supreme desire of him who has fully given his heart to 
God, is, not merely that he may be happy, and thus please 
himself, but that he may know and do God's will. 
Knowledge, therefore, (we do not mean all kinds of 
knowledge but particularly that which has relation to 



INWARD RECOLLECTION. 333 

the divine will,) is obviously of the greatest conse- 
quence ; and those will know most who are the most 
recollected. The truth opens itself to the mind, that 
faithfully perseveres in the state of inward recollection, 
with remarkable clearness ; and the reason, in part, is, 
because the mind, in a religiously-recollected state, 
ceases to be agitated by the passions. " The light of 
God," says the writer already referred to, " shines as the 
sun at noonday ; but our passions, like so many thick 
clouds opposed to it, are the reason that we cannot per- 
ceive it. Love, hatred, fear, hope, grief, joy, and other 
vicious passions, filling our soul, blind it in such a 
manner that it sees nothing but what is sensible and 
suitable to it ; refusing all that is contrary to its own 
inclinations ; and being thus filled with itself, it is not 
capable of receiving the light of God." * Now, there 
can be no question that inward recollection secures the 
soul in a most remarkable degree from inordinate pas- 
sions. Such passions cannot well flourish with the eye 
of God distinctly looking upon them. And accordingly, 
under such circumstances, the illuminative suggestions 
of the Holy Spirit readily enter the mind, and operate 
in it, and reveal the divine will ; so that he who walks 
in recollection may reasonably expect to walk in the 
light of true knowledge and of a divine guidance. 

And not only this, inward recollection tends to con- 
centrate, and consequently to strengthen very much, the 
action of the intellectual powers. It does this, in part, 
and indirectly, by disburdening the mind of those wan- 
dering thoughts, and unnecessary cares and excitements, 
which, with scarcely any exception, overrun the minds of 
those who do not live in a recollected state. 

(4.) Another favorable result, connected with the 
habit of inward recollection, is that, by confining the 
mind to the present moment, and retaining God in the 
position of a present counsellor and guide, it prevents 
the exercise of reflex and selfish acts on the past, and 

* Bourignon's Light in Darkness, p. 14. 



334 



ON THE STATE OF 



also undue and selfish calculations for the future. Self, 
if we permit it, will either secretly or openly find nour- 
ishment every where ; and every where, therefore, we 
are to fight against it, overcome it, slay it. When the 
past is gone, and we are conscious that we have done 
our duty in it, if we would not have the life of self im- 
bibing strength from that source, we must leave it with 
God in simplicity of spirit, and not suffer it to furnish 
food either for vanity or disheartening regrets. We should 
avoid also all undue and selfish calculations for the fu- 
ture, such as continually agitate and distract the minds 
of the people of the world ; and indeed all thoughts 
and anticipations of a prospective character, which do 
not flow out of the facts and the relations of the present 
moment, and which are not sanctified by a present 
divine inspection. " Happy is the man," says Fenelon, 
"who retains nothing in his mind but what is neces- 
sary, and who only thinks of each thing just when it is 
the time to think of it ; so that it is rather God, who ex- 
cites the perception and idea of it by an impression and 
discovery of his will which we must perform, than the 
mind's being at the trouble to forecast and find it." * 
To these important results there can be no question 
that the habit of inward recollection is exceedingly 
favorable. 

(5.) Again, we have good reason for supposing that 
the state of mind under consideration is eminently pro- 
pitious to the spirit and practice of prayer. There cer- 
tainly can be no acceptable prayer without a considerable 
degree of recollection. And the requirement that we 
should "pray without ceasing," seems almost necessa- 
rily to imply that we should always be in a recollected 
state. " He who is always dissipated," says a certain 
writer, " like a house open to all comers and goers, is 
very unfit for prayer. He that will never pray but in 
the hour that calls him to it, will never do it well. Bu« 



* Fenelon's Directions for a Holy Life. 



INWARD RECOLLECTION. 335 

he that would succeed in this great exercise ought, by 
continual recollection, to keep himself always ready, 
and in an actual disposition for praying."* 

Finally. One of the great excellences of the state of 
inward recollection is, that it gives us the place of cen- 
tral observation and power — the key, if we may so ex- 
press it, to the position of the religious life ; and enables 
us to exercise an effective control over its whole broad 
extent ; that is to say, it places us in the most favorable 
position to discover and meet the attacks of our spiritual 
adversaries, and also to render our own movements and 
efforts fully available. However well disposed may be 
our intentions, whatever good purposes we may have 
formed, whatever may be the formality and solemnity 
of our recorded resolutions, they will ever be found in a 
great degree useless, without this aid. It will be in 
vain to think of living a life of true religion, a life in 
which God himself is the inspiring element, without a 
present, permanent, and realizing sense of his presence. 
It is, therefore, not without a good degree of reason that 
the pious Cecil has remarked, that " recollection is 
the life of religion." 

* Letter of Instruction on Christian Perfection, by Francis de la 
Combe. 



336 



CHAPTER EIGHTH. 



ON THE 1JNV\ ARD UTTERANCE, OR THE VOICE OF GOD 
IN THE SOUL. 



" I laid my request before the Lord, and the Lord 
answered me." This is a remark which is frequently 
made by persons of eminent piety. They cannot doubt 
that they truly hold communication with God. Ad- 
dressing him either in silence or. the spoken utterance 
of words, they find that they do not ask without receiv- 
ing. God speaks to them in return. 

It is important to understand the nature of the an- 
swers which God gives. In those earlier religious dis- 
pensations, of which we have an account in the Old 
Testament, God answered his people in various ways ; 
by visible signs, by the cloud and the fire, by Urim and 
Thummim, by miracles, by audible voices. The periods 
of those dispensations have passed away, and the meth- 
ods of communication, which were appropriate to them, 
nave passed away also. What are we to understand, 
then, by the divine utterance, — the voice of God in the 
soul, — of which those persons, who are eminently pious 
at the present time, have frequent occasion to speak ? 

We remark, in the first place, that one class of those 
inward utterances, which are frequently regarded as re- 
turns or answers from God, appear to be impressions, or 
rather suggested thoughts, or suggestions, which are 
suddenly but distinctly originated in the mind, and ap- 
parently from some cause independent of the mind itself. 
Sometimes the suggestion consists in suddenly bringing 
to the mind a particular passage of Scripture, which is 
received as the divine answer- 



ON THE VOICE C*l GOD IN THE SOUL,. 337 

.Sometimes the suggestion consists in the sudden 
origination of new ideas, or truths in a new form of 
words ; but truths so remarkable, either in their origin 
or in their application, that we are disposed to regard 
them as the inward intimations and the voice of God. 
Of the frequent existence of such inward and sudden 
suggestions or impressions, we suppose there can be no 
reasonable doubt. It is well understood, and seems to 
be placed beyond question, that they make a portion of 
the internal history of many pious persons. 

A few remarks may properly be made on this class of 
inward voices ; and one is, that sudden suggestions or 
impressions may have, and that they do sometimes have, 
a natural origin. The natural man, as well as the re- 
ligious man, will sometimes tell us that he has had an 
unexpected or remarkable suggestion or impression. In 
the treatises which exist on the subject of disordered 
mental action, the existence of frequent and sudden 
impressions, such as have been described, is laid down, 
and apparently with good reason, because the results 
have justified it, as one of the marks of an incipient 
state of insanity. Another remark, which it may be 
proper to make here, is this : It is a common, and prob- 
ably a well-founded opinion, that sudden inward sug- 
gestions or impressions may have, and that they do 
sometimes have, a Satanic origin. If Satan is permitted 
to operate upon the human mind at all, and lead it 
astray, of which the Scriptures do not permit us to 
doubt, it is certainly a reasonable supposition, that he 
sometimes makes his attacks in this manner. And 
especially may we take this view, when we consider 
that he is a spiritual being, and would more naturally 
act upon the spirit or minds of men than upon the body. 
A third remark is, that the sudden suggestions or im- 
pressions which we are considering are undoubtedly, in 
some instances, from a truly good or divine source. It 
is hardly reasonable to suppose that God would forbid 
himself a method of operat on on the human mind 
which he allows to Satan, and which, if it may be em- 
20 



338 ON THE INWARD UTTERANCE. 

ployed, under a bad direction, to a bad purpose, is also 
susceptible, in other hands, of a good one. We may 
reasonably conclude, therefore, that the Holy Spirit 
sometimes adopts this method of operation. 

It remains to be added here, that, if these remarkable 
suggestions may arise from sources so various and dif- 
ferent, they should be received with caution ; otherwise 
we may be led astray by the voice of nature or the 
voice of Satan, believing it to be the voice of our heav- 
enly Father. God deals with us as rational beings. And 
it is a consequence of God's recognition of our ration- 
ality, that he does not require us to act upon sudden 
suggestions or impressions, even if they come from him- 
self, without our first subjecting them to the scrutiny 
of reason. And it is here that we find the ground of 
our safety in respect to a method of operation upon us 
which otherwise would be likely to be full of danger. 
Accordingly, when a sudden suggestion is presented to 
the mind, we ought to delay upon it, although it may 
seem, at first sight, to require an immediate action. We 
should compare it with the will of God, as revealed in 
the Bible. We should examine it dispassionately and 
deliberately, with the best lights of reason, and with the 
assistance of prayer. Indeed, if the suggestion comes 
from God, it is presented with this very object ; not to 
lead us to action without judgment and without reason, 
but to arouse the. judgment from its stupidity, and to 
put it upon a train of important inquiry. And when 
this is done in a calm and dispassionate manner, and 
with sincere desires for divine direction, we have good 
reason to believe that we may avoid the dangers which 
have been referred to, by detecting those suggestions 
which are from an evil source, and may realize impor- 
tant benefits. 

But we ought not to feel, that, in our inward conver- 
sation with God, we are limited to such occasions as 
have been mentioned, and that we have no inward 
response, except by means of sudden and remarkable 
impressions, which are liable to the dangers which have 



OR THE VOICE OF GOD IN THE SOUL. 339 

been indicated, and which generally exist only at con- 
siderable intervils from each other. On the contrary, 
we have abundant reason for saying that it is our privi- 
lege always to be conversing with God, and always to 
receive the divine answer. It is a great truth, — almost 
as evident on natural as it undoubtedly is evident on 
scriptural grounds, — that, when we have given ourselves 
wholly to God, he will give himself to us in all that is 
necessary and important for us. And this general prin- 
ciple involves the subordinate idea that he is willing to 
communicate knowledge, and to become our Teacher. 
We ought not to doubt that God is ready to speak to us 
with all the kindness of a Father, and to make known 
all that is necessary for us. And while, in the process 
of teaching and guiding men, he operates outwardly, 
even at the present day, by means of his written Word / 
he also operates inwardly by means of interior commu- 
nications ; sometimes by sudden suggestions, in the 
manner which has already been mentioned ; but much 
more frequently and satisfactorily, by availing himselt 
of the more ordinary laws of the mind's acting, and by 
uttering his inward voice through the decisions of a 
spiritually-enlightened judgment. This is a great prac- 
tical and religious truth, however much it may be un- 
known in the experience of those who are not holy in 
heart — that the decision of a truly sanctified judgment 
is, and of necessity must be, the voice of God speaking 
in the soul. 

But this important doctrine, it must be admitted, re- 
quires to be correctly and* thoroughly understood. It 
should be particularly remembered that God does not 
and cannot speak in this way, unless there is sincerity. 
And by sincerity we mean a sincere desire to do his 
will in all things, as well as a sincere desire to know 
and do his will in the particular thing which is laid be- 
fore him. Such sincerity, which may be regarded as 
but another name for entire consecration, naturally ex- 
cludes all the secret biases of self-interest and prejudice, 
and places the mind in the position most favorable for 



340 ON THE INWARD UTTERANCE, 

the admission and discovery of truth. It is in such a 
mind, and not in a mind which is governed by worldly 
passions, that the Holy Ghost, whose office it is to guide 
men into all necessary truth, loves to dwell. We may, 
therefore, lay down the general principle, that the de- 
cision of a spiritually-enlightened judgment, made in a 
state of entire consecration to God's will, and with a 
sincere desire to know his will, may justly be regarded 
as a divine answer, or an answer from God, in the par- 
ticular matter or subject in relation to which an answei 
has been sought. The decision of the judgment, which 
is arrived at in such a state of freedom from self-interest 
and passion, and under the secret guidance of the Holy 
Spirit, is oftentimes so clear and so prompt, that it al 
most seems to be a voice audibly speaking in the soul. 
It is true, however, in point of fact, that it is only the 
inward ear, or the ear of faith, and not the outward or 
bodily ear, which is spoken to. In yielding our assent 
to the decisions of our judgment, we have faith, undei 
all the circumstances of the case, and especially in view 
of the promise of God to give light to those that sin- 
cerely ask him, that we are adopting the decisions to 
which our heavenly Father would lead us ; so that we 
may confidently say, that the answer of the judgment, 
in connection with the spirit of entire consecration, on 
the one hand, and of entire faith in God's promises, on 
the other, is God's answer ; that is to say, is the answer 
which God, under the existing circumstances, sees fit 
to give, whether it be more or less full and explicit. 
And this is all which the truly humble Christian either 
expects or wishes to receive, viz., such an answer, be it 
more or less, as God sees fit to give. Even if he is 
unable to come to a specific determination on the sub- 
ject before him, he still feels that he is not without an 
inward voice. He has God's answer even then ; viz., 
that, under the circumstances of the case, God has no 
specific communication to make, and that he requires 
him to exercise the humility and faith appropriate to a 
state of ignorance. And this response, humbling as it 



OR THE VOICE OF GOD IN THE SOUL. 34 

is to the pride of the natural heart, he truly regards as 
very important, and as entirely satisfactory. It is in 
this method — a method which appears to be free from 
dangers — that God ordinarily answers and converses 
with his people. 

In view of what has been said, we come to the con- 
clusion that it is very proper for pious people, especially 
for those whose hearts are truly sanctified, to speak not 
only of laying their requests before God, but of receiv- 
ing a divine answer. It is not improper for them to 
speak, if it is done with a suitable degree of reverence, 
of holding conversation with God — of talking with 
God. The expressions correspond with the facts. 
To talk with God ; to go to him familiarly, as 
children to a parent ; to speak to him in the secrecy of 
their spirits, and to receive an inward answer, as gra- 
cious as it is decisive, — is not only a privilege granted 
them, but a privilege practically realized. When, there- 
fore, we find, in the memoirs of very pious persons, as 
we sometimes do, statements and accounts of their hold- 
ing internal conversations with God, of the requests they 
make, and of the answers they receive, we are not ne- 
cessarily to regard such experiences as fanatical or de- 
ceitful. On the contrary, we think it impossible for a 
person to be truly and wholly the Lord's, without fre- 
quently being the subject of this inward and divine 
intercourse. 

29* 



342 



CHAPTER NINTH. 



SPIRITUAL BREAD, OR THE DOCTRINE OF RECEIVING 
BY FAITH. 



It is well understood that we must pray in faith. No 
petition to God, which is not attended with confidence 
in his character and his Word, can be acceptable to him. 
But I suppose that it is not so generally understood and 
recognized, that, in most cases, we must receive by faith, 
as well as pray by faith ; that faith is as necessary in 
the reception of the thing petitioned for, as in the peti- 
tion itself. 

I. In order the better to understand this subject, 
which we hope will throw some additional light upon 
the important doctrine contained in the latter part of 
the last chapter, we would remark, in the first place, 
that every Christian, who humbly and sincerely address- 
es his Maker, may reasonably expect an answer. It 
does not well appear how a perfectly just and holy Being 
could impose on his creatures the duty of prayer, with- 
out recognizing the obligation of returning an answer 
of some kind. In making this remark, we imply, of 
course, that the prayer is a sincere one. An insincere 
prayer, just so far as insincerity exists, is not entitled to 
be regarded as prayer, in any proper sense of the term. 
Our first position, therefore, is, that every person who 
utters a sincere prayer may reasonably expect an an- 
swer, and that, in fact, an answer always is given, al- 
though it is not always understood and received. And 
this appears to be entirely in accordance with the Scrip- 
tures — "Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, 
and ye shall find ; knock, and it shall be opened unto 



bPIRITUAX, BREAD, OR RECEIVING BY FAITH. 343 

you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he 
that seeketh findeth ; and to him that knocketh it shall 
be opened." 

II. But it becomes now an important inquiry, What 
s the true and just answer of God to the petitions of 
his people ? It seems to us that it is, and it cannot be 
any thing else than, the decision of his own inrinitely 
just and omniscient mind, that he will give to the sup- 
plicant, or withhold, just as he sees best. In other 
words, the true answer to prayer is God's deliberate 
purpose or will, existing in connection with the petition 
and all the circumstances of the petition. But some 
will say, perhaps, that on this system we sometimes get 
our answer, without getting what we ask for ; and that 
God's decision may not correspond with our own desire. 
But this objection is met by a moment's consideration 
of the nature of prayer. There never was true prayer, 
there never can be true prayer, which does not recog- 
nize, either expressly or by implication, an entire sub- 
mission to the divine will. The very idea of prayer 
implies a right on the part of the person to whom the 
prayer is addressed, either to give or to withhold the 
petition ; and the existence of such a right on the part 
of God implies a correlative obligation on the other 
party to submit cheerfully to his decisions. To ask 
absolutely, without submission to God's will, is not tc 
pray, but to demand. A demand is as different from 
true prayer, as an humble request is from an imperative 
order. A request God al ways regards ; he always treats 
it with kindness and justice ; but a demand cannot be 
properly addressed to him, nor can it properly be re- 
ceived by him. The true model of the spirit of suppli- 
cation, even in our greatest necessities, is to be found in 
the Savior's prayer at the time of his agony in the gar- 
den. "And he went a little farther, and fell on his 
face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, 
let this cup pass from me ; nevertheless, not as I will, 
but as thou ivilt." Trie prayer, therefore, — that prayer 
which can be suitably addressed to the Supreme Being 



344 SPIRITUAL BREAD, OR THE 

and that which it is suitable for an imperfect and limited 
mind to offer, — always involves the condition, whether it 
be expressed or not, that the petition is agreeable to the 
divine will. This condition is absolutely essential to 
the nature of the prayer. There is no acceptable prayer, 
there is no true prayer, without it. Such being the 
nature of the prayer, the answer to the prayer will cor- 
respond to it, viz., it will always be the decision of the 
divine mind, whatever that decision may be, made up 
in view of the petition, and of all the attendant circum- 
stances. 

III. The next inquiry is, How are we to receive 
the answer ? By sight, or by faith ? It seems to us 
that it must be by faith. The life of the just is repre- 
sented as a life of faith ; and we should naturally con- 
clude the life of faith would include the answer to 
prayer, as well as prayer itself. 

It is very evident that the just live, as subjects of the 
divine Sovereign, not only by praying but by being 
answered. And in either case, according to the Scrip- 
ture representation, the principal or inspiring element 
of the inward life, whether a person prays or is answered 
in prayer, is faith. Any other view will probably be 
found, on close examination, to be inconsistent with the 
doctrine of living by .faith. Accordingly, on the true 
doctrine of holy living, viz., by faith, we go to God in 
the exercise of faith, believing that he will hear ; and 
we return from him in the exercise of the same faith, 
believing that he has heard, and that the answer exists 
and is registered in the divine mind, although we do 
not know what it is, and perhaps shall never be per- 
mitted to know. 

And in accordance with, these views, if, in a given 
case, we know from the Word of God that the petition 
is agreeable to the divine will, and that it is also agree- 
able to the divine will that it should be granted now, 
then the doctrine of faith will require us to believe, that 
the divine decision is made up and is given, and that 
we do now have the things which we sought for 



DOCTRINE OF RECEIVING BY FAITH. 345 

although they may come in a different way, and with a 
different appearance, from what we anticipated. * And, 
on the other hand, if the Word of God has not revealed 
to us the divine will, the doctrine of faith still requires 
us to believe that the true answer exists in the will of 
God ; that the decision of God is made up as in the 
other case, whatever that decision may be, and when- 
ever and wherever it may be visibly accomplished. In 
both cases, we have need of faith ; we believe that God 
is either now doing, or that he will do. So that the 
true answer to prayer, as it seems to us, is an answer 
resting upon the revealed declaration or Word of God 
for its basis, and made available to us in any given case 
by an act of faith. God promises that he will answer. 
Faith, accepting the declaration, recognizes the answer, 
whether it- be known or unknown, as actually given in 
every case, where it can justly be expected to be given. 
IV. We proceed now to give some illustrations. 
We will suppose, for instance, that, in a particular emer 
gency, we need and are sincerely desirous of wisdom to 
guide us, and that we truly and humbly ask for it. 
While we thus pray, it is of course implied that we, at 
the same time, employ all those rational powers which 
God has given us, and which are appropriate to the sub- 
ject under consideration. To do otherwise would be 
like the husbandman's asking the rains and the blessing 
of Heaven upon lands which he had neglected to culti- 
vate. While we thus pray and thus act, it becomes 
our privilege and our duty, in accordance with the doc- 
trines of the life of faith, to believe fully and firmly 
that God does in fact answer, and that, in the sanctified 
exercise of the powers which are given us, we truly 
have that degree of wisdom which is best for us in the 
present case. Whether we are conscious of any new 
light on the subject or not, it is our privilege, and — what 
is very important — it is our duty, as those who would be 
wholly the Lord's, to believe that we have just that de- 
gree of knowledge which is best for us. Even if we 



346 JPIRITUAL BREAD, OR THE 

are left in almost entire ignorance on the topic of oui 
inquiry, and are obliged to grope our way onward in 
the best manner we can, we still have the high satisfac 
tion of knowing, that we are placed in this position 
because God sees that a less degree of light is better in 
our case than a greater, and it is certain that his percep- 
tion of it involves the fact that it is so. And accord 
mgly, if it be true that God does not give to us that 
precise form and degree of wisdom, which, in our igno- 
rance, we sought for, we nevertheless have received all 
that wisdom which, in the view of faith, is either 
necessary or desirable. Such is God's answer. And 
such also is the true answer, viz., the answer which 
precisely corresponds to the spirit of the petition, if the 
petition has been offered up in the true spirit. But it 
is obvious it is an answer which could never be real- 
ized as the true answer, and as God's answer, except in 
the exercise of faith. It is, therefore, an answer resting 
upon the revealed declaration or Word of God, viz., that 
he will give wisdom to those that sincerely ask it, and 
made available to us in being received by faith. It 
answers our purpose just as much and as well, and in 
some important points of view far better, than if it were 
an answer addressed directly to our sight. 

We will suppose, as another illustration of the subject, 
that we have a sincere and earnest desire for the salva- 
tion of one of our friends. Under the pressure of this 
desire we lay the case before our heavenly Father in 
supplication. What is the nature of the answer which 
we can reasonably expect, and which we ought to ex- 
pect, under such circumstances ? Is it a specific answer, 
of such a nature as to make known to us, by a direct 
communication, whether the thing shall be done or not, 
and whether it shall be done at a particular time or not ? 
Or is it an answer resting upon the revealed declaration 
of the Word of God, as that answer is received and made 
available to us by faith ? In the former case, we shall 
pray till we know, or rather till we think we know ■ 



DOCTRINE OF RECEIVING BY FAITH. 347 

not merely know that God answers us, and answers us 
in the best manner ; but, what is a very different thing, 
shall pray till we know, or think we know, what the 
answer is. Under the influence of a very subtle and 
secret distrust of God, we shall not be disposed to desist 
until we obtain som3 sign, some voice, some spacific 
manifestation, some fe3ling which shall make us certain ; 
and certain, not merely that God hears us, and will do 
all he consistently can for us : but shall insist on a cer- 
tain knowledge, by means of such signs and manifesta- 
tions, of the precise thing which he will do. In other 
words, we cannot trust the answer in God's keeping ; 
but must gratify our inordinate and sinful curiosity by 
having a revelation of it. In the latter case, viz., 
where we expect an answer, resting upon God's word 
and received by faith, it is very different. While we 
humbly, earnestly, and perseveringly lay our request 
before God, we shalf leave the result in his hands with 
entire resignation ; believing, in accordance with the 
declarations of his holy Word, that he does truly hear 
us ; entirely confident that he will do what is right ; 
and recognizing his blessed will, although that will may 
as yet be unknown to us, as the true and only desirable 
fulfilment of our supplication. We shall feel, although 
salvation is desirable both for ourselves and others, that 
the fulfilment of the holy will of God is still more, yea, 
infinitely more desirable. " Thy will be done." And 
here is a real answer, such an answer as would com- 
pletely satisfy an angel's mind ; and yet it is an answer 
received by simple faith. " The just shall live by faith" 
The whole doctrine is beautifully summed up in a short 
passage in the First Epistle of John. " And this is the 
confidence [or strong faith] that we have in him, that 
if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us. 
And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we 
know that we have the petitions that we desire of him." 
(1.) In connection with the doctrine which has 
been laid down, viz., that answers to prayers are to be 



34.S SPIRITUAL BREAD, OR THE 

received by faith, we proceed to make a few remarks 
which are naturally related to it. And one is, that this 
doctrine is favorable to self-renunciation. The desire 
of definite and specific answers naturally reacts upon the 
inward nature, and tends to keep alive the selfish or 
egotistical principle. On the contrary, the disposition 
to know only what God would have us know, and to 
leave the dearest object of our hearts in the sublime 
keeping of the general and unspecific belief that God is 
now answering our prayers in his own time and way, 
and in the best manner, involves a present process of 
inward crucifixion, which is obviously unfavorable to 
the growth and even the existence of the life of self. 

(2.) We remark, again, that a disposition to seek a 
specific, or rather a visible answer to our prayers, in 
distinction from an answer addressed to our faith, tends 
to weaken the principle of faith. The visible system, 
if we may be permitted so to call it, implies that we will 
trust God only so far as we can see him. It requires, 
as one may say, ready payment, cash in hand^ a mort- 
gage of real estate, something seen or tangible. It 
cannot live upon what it calls mere air ; it is not dis- 
posed to trust any thing to a mere word, a mere promise, 
though it be the word or promise of the Almighty. 
Such, on a close examination, will be found to be the 
spirit of the specific or visible system — a system which 
will answer, to some extent, in our intercourse with 
men, but not in our intercourse with God. It is easy 
to see, in addition to other evils resulting from it, that 
it is adverse to the growth of faith ; which, in accord- 
ance with a well-known law of our mental and religious 
nature, flourishes by exercise, and withers by repression, 
If the system, which is not satisfied without seeing 01 
knowing, should prevail generally, faith would necessa- 
rily be banished from the world, and God would be 
banished with it. 

(3.) The system which requires a present and 
visible or ascertained answer, in distinction from the 



DOCTRINE OF RECEIVING BY FAITH. 349 

by stem of faith, which believes that it has an answer, 
but does not require God to make it known till he sees 
best to make it known, is full of danger. It tends to 
self-confidence, because it implies that we can command 
God, and make him unlock the secrets of his hidden 
counsels whenever we please. It tends to self-delusion, 
because we are always liable to mistake the workings 
of our own imaginations or our own feelings, or the 
intimations of Satan, for the true voice of God. It 
tends to cause jealousies and divisions in the church of 
Christ, because he who supposes that he has a specific 
or known answer — which is the same, so far as it goes, 
as a specific revelation — is naturally bound and led by 
such supposition, and thus is oftentimes led to strike 
out a course for himself which is at variance with the 
feelings and judgments of his brethren. Incalculable 
are the evils, which, in every age of the Christian his- 
tory, have resulted from this source. 

(4.) We have but a single remark more, viz. : It is 
a great and blessed privilege to leave every thing in the 
hands of God ; to go forth, like the patriarch Abraham, 
not knowing whither we go, but only knowing that 
God leads us. "Be careful for nothing ; but in every 
thing, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, 
let your requests be made known unto God." Philip, 
iv. 6. This is what is sometimes denominated walking 
in a " general and indistinct faith ; " or walking in the 
"obscurity of faith," or in the " night of faith." Faith, 
in its relation to the subject of it, is truly a light in the 
soul ; but it is a light which shines only upon duties^ 
and not upon results or events. It tells us what is now 
to be done, but it does not tell us what is to follow. 
And accordingly, it guides us but a single step at a time. 
And when we take that step, under the guidance of 
faith, we advance directly into a land of surrounding 
shadows aid darkness. Like the patriarch Abraham, 
we go, not knowing whither we go, but only that God 
is with us Blessed and glorious way of living ! In 
30 



350 SPIRITUAL BREAD, OR RECEIVING BY FAITH. 

deed, it is the only life worth possessing ; the only true 
life. " Let the heathen rage, and the people imagine a 
vain thing ; " let nations rise and fall ; let the disturbed 
and tottering earth stand or perish ; let God reveal to us 
the secret designs of his providence or not, — it is all well. 
"Cast all your carss upon God, for he careth for you." 
" Believe in one Lord your God, so shall you be estab- 
lished. Believe 1 is prophets, so shall ye prosper." 



351 



CHAPTER TENTH. 

ON 1HE PRINCIPLE OF INWARD QUIETUDE OR 
STILLNESS. 

We proceed, in this chapter, to lay down and explain 
a principle which is more or less distinctly recognized 
by writers on Christian experience, and which, by the 
common consent of those who have examined it, is 
very intimately connected with the progress and per- 
fection of the interior Christian life. The principle is 
that of inward quietude or stillness ; in other words, 
a true and 'practical ceasing from self. 

First. This principle involves, in the first place, a 
cessation from all inordinate and selfish outward ac- 
tivity. It does not, it will be remembered, exclude an 
outward activity of the right kind. To entertain any 
idea of this kind, would be a great error. But it dis- 
approves and condemns that spirit of worldly move- 
ment and progress ; that calculating and self-interested 
activity ; that running to and fro without seriously 
looking to God, and without a quiet confidence in him, 
which has been, in all ages of the world, the dishonor 
and the bane of true Christianity. How much of what 
may be called secular scheming and planning there is in 
the church at the present time ! How much of action, 
prosecuted on principles which certainly cannot be ac- 
ceptable to a truly holy heart ! While it exhibits much 
of true piety, and much of the right kind of action, is 
it not evident that the church exhibits a great deal, 
also, both in its plans of personal and of public activity, 
of that restless, unsanctified, and grasping eagerness, 
which characterizes, and may be expected to charac- 
terize, those who live and act as if there were no God 



352 ON THE PRINCIPLE OF 

in the world ? The principle of quietude, or stillness, 
decidedly condemns this injurious and evil course. 

Second. But this principle has inwardly still more 
important results. The true state of internal quietude, 
or stillness, implies three things. 

(1.) And, accordingly, our first remark is, that true 
quietness of soul involves a cessation from unnecessary 
wandering and discursive thoughts and imaginations. 
If we indulge an unnatural and inordinate curiosity; if 
we crowd the intellect, not only with useful knowledge, 
but with all the vague and unprofitable rumors and 
news of the day, it is hardly possible, on the principles 
of mental philosophy, that the mind should be at rest. 
The doctrine of religious quietude conveys the notion 
of a state of intellect so free from all unnecessary worldly 
intruders, that God can take up his abode there as the 
one great idea, which shall either exclusively occupy 
the mind, or shall so far occupy it as to bring all other 
thoughts and reflections into entire harmony with itself. 
This is, philosophically, one of the first conditions of 
union with God. It seems to be naturally impossible 
that we should realize an entire harmony, or oneness, 
with the divine mind, while the soul is so occupied 
with worldly thoughts flowing into it, as almost to shut 
out the very idea of God. A state of religious or 
spiritual quietude is, in other words, a stq.te of rest in 
God. The idea of God, therefore, — that magnificent 
and glorious idea, — must so occupy the intellect, must 
be so interwoven with all its operations and modes of 
thinking, that the thoughts of other things, which so 
often agitate and afflict the religious mind, may be 
easily shut out. And in ordei to do this, they who 
would be perfect in Christ Jesus, must not mingle too 
much in the concerns of the world. Little have 1 they 
to do with the unprofitable frivolities and pleasures of 
secular society ; with idle village gossiping ; with the 
trades, and adventures, and speculations, of those who 
hasten to be rich ; with the heats and recriminations of 
party politics, — and many other things, which it would 



INWARD QUIETUDE OR STILLNESS. 353 

be easy to mention. No reading, also, should be in- 
dulged in, which shall tend to separate between the 
soul and God. Knowledge is profitable, it is true ; but 
not all kinds of knowledge. It is better, certainly, if 
vv3 cannot, consistently with religious principles, have a 
knowledge of both, to be familiar with the psalms of 
David than with the poems of Homer j not only bet- 
cause the former are in a higher strain, but especially 
oecause heavenly inspiration should ever take prece- 
dence of that which is earthly. When, however, we 
read in the world's books from the sense of duty — 
when we may be said to read and study for God and 
with God — then, indeed, the great idea of the Divinity 
remains present and operative in the soul. And such 
inquiries and studies are always consistent with Chris- 
tian quietude, because the mind, venturing forth at the 
requisition of the great Master within, returns instinc- 
tively, at the appointed time, to the inward centre of 
rest. Hence we should lay it down as an important 
rule, to chasten the principle of curiosity, and to know 
nothing which cannot be made, either directly or indi- 
rectly, religiously profitable. Such knowledge, and such 
only, will harmonize with the presence of the great idea 
of God. All other knowledge tends to exclude it. And 
hence it is, that it can be so often said of those who 
possess all worldly knowledge, to whom all arts, and lan- 
guages, and sciences, are familiar, that God is not in 
all their thoughts. The intellect is not in sufficient re- 
pose from the outward and purely worldly pressure 
constantly made upon it, to receive him. He comes 
to the door, but finds no entrance, and leaves them 
alone in their folly. 

Perhaps, in order to prevent mistakes, it should be 
added that, when the mind is thus in a state of quiet- 
ness and repose from worldly and errant imaginations, 
it does not by any means follow, as some may suppose, 
that it is therefore in a state of sluggish and insentient 
idleness. Not at all. No sooner has it reached the 
state of true stillness, by ceasing from its own im 
30* 



354 ON THE PRINCIPLE OF 

aginative vanities, and thus giving entrance to the 
purifying and absorbing conception of the great Divin- 
ity, than it becomes silently but actively meditative 
on the great idea. Not, indeed, in a discursive and ex- 
aminative way, not in a way of curious inquiry and 
of minute analysis, but still active and meditative ; 
much in the manner, perhaps, that an affectionate child 
silently and delightedly meditates on the idea of an 
absent parent ; not analytically and curiously, but with 
that high and beautiful meditation which exists in 
connection with the purest love ; or much as any 
persons, who sustain to each other the relation of dear 
and intimate friendship, when in the providence of God 
they are separated at a distance, often repose in mental 
stillness from all other thoughts inconsistent with the 
one loved idea; and thus reciprocally the mind, active 
in respect to the object before it, though still and quiet 
in respect to every thing else, centres and dwells with 
each other's image. 

(2.) Again, the state of internal quietude implies a 
cessation, or rest, from unrestrained and inordinate de- 
sires and affections. Such a cessation becomes com- 
paratively easy, when God has become the ruling idea 
in the thoughts; and when other ideas, which are vain, 
wandering, and in other ways inconsistent with it, are 
excluded. This rest, or stillness of the affections, when 
it exists in the highest degree, is secured by perfect 
faith in God, necessarily resulting in perfect love. We 
have already had occasion to say that perfect faith im- 
plies, in its results, perfect love. How can we possibly 
have perfect faith in God, perfect confidence that he 
will do all things right and well, when, at the same 
time, we are wanting in love to him ? From perfect 
faith, therefore, perfect love necessarily flows out, bap- 
tizing, as it were, and purifying, all the subordinate 
powers of the soul. In other words, under the influ- 
ence of this predominating principle, the perfect love 
of God resting upon perfect faith in God, the harmony 
of the soul becomes restored ; the various appetites. 



INWARD QUIETUDE OR STILLNESS. 355 

propensities, and affections, act each in their place and 
all concurrently; there are no disturbing and jarring in- 
fluences ; and the beautiful result is that quietness of 
spirit which is declared to be " in the sight of God of 
great price." 

Those who are privileged, by divine assistance, to 
enjoy this interior rest and beautiful stillness of the 
passions, are truly lovely to the beholder. The wicked 
are like the troubled sea, that cannot rest, tossed about by 
conflicting passions, and are not more unhappy in them- 
selves than they are unlovely in the sight of holy 
beings. There is a want of interior symmetry and 
union : that guiding principle of divine love, which 
consolidates and perfects the characters of holy beings, 
is absent ; the lower parts of their nature have gained 
the ascendency, and there is internal jarring and discord, 
and general moral deformity. In such a heart God does 
not and cannot dwell. How different is the condition of 
that heart which is pervaded by the power of a sancti- 
fying stillness, and which, in the cessation of its own 
jarring noise, is prepared to listen to the "still small 
voice " ! It is here that God not only takes up his 
abode, but continually instructs, guides, and consoles. 

On this part of the subject, in order to prevent any 
misapprehension, we make two brief remarks : The 
first is, that the doctrine of stillness, or quietude of the 
desires and passions, does not necessarily exclude an 
occasional agitation arising from the instinctive part of 
our nature. The instincts are so constituted, that 
they act, not by cool reason and reflection, but by 
an inexpressibly quick and agitated movement. Such 
is their nature. Such agitation is entirely consistent 
with holiness; and it is not mneasonable to suppose, 
that even the amazement and fe.ui 1 , which are ascribed 
to our blessed Savior at certain penods of his life, are to 
be attributed to the operation of this part of his nature, 
which is perfectly consistent with entire resignation, 
.ind with perfect confidence in God. The other re- 
mark is, that the doctrine of internal quietude, perva 



356 ON THE PRINCIPLE OF 

ding and characterizing the action of the sensibilities, 
is not inconsistent with feelings of displeasure, and 
even of anger. Our Savior was at times grieved, dis- 
pleased, angry ; as he had abundant reason to be, in 
view of the hardness of heart, and the sins, which were 
exposed to his notice. Anger (so far as it is not 
purely instinctive — which at its first rise, and for a 
mere moment of time, it may be) is, in its nature, 
entirely consistent with reason and reflection ; is con- 
sistent with the spirit of supplication, and consist- 
ent, also, even in its strong exercises, with entire 
agreement and relative quietude in alt parts of the 
soul. In other words, although there is deep feeling in 
one part of the soul, the other parts — such as the 
reason, the conscience, and the will — are so entirely 
consentient, that the great fact of holy, internal qui- 
etude, which depends upon a perfect adjustment of the 
parts to each other, is secured. A strong faith in God, 
existing in the interior recesses of the soul, and in- 
spiring a disposition to look with a constant eye to his 
will alone, keeps every thing in its right position. 
Hence there still remains the great and important fact 
of holy internal rest, even at such trying times. 

(3.) We proceed now to the third characteristic. 
The true state of internal quietude implies a cessation 
not only from unnecessarily wandering and discursive 
thoughts and imaginations, not only a rest from ir- 
regular desires and affections, but implies, in the 
third place, a perfect submission of the will ; in othei 
words, a perfect renunciation of our own purposes and 
plans, and a cheerful and perfect acquiescence in the 
holy will of God. Such a renunciation of the will is 
indispensably requisite. It is not to be understood that 
we are to have no will of our own, in the literal sense ; 
this would be inconsistent with moral agency ; but 
that in its action, under all circumstances, however ad- 
verse and trying, our will is cheerfully and wholly 
accordant with God's will. A mind in such a state 
must necessarily be at rest. It realizes that God is »t 



INWARD QUIETUDE OR STILLNESS. 357 

the helm of affairs j and that necessarily all the plans 
of his wise and great administration shall come to pass. 
Why, then, should it be troubled? "What a blessed 
thing it is," says Dr. Payson, "to lose one's will! 
Since I have lost my will, I have found happiness. 
There can be no such thing as disappointment ; for 1 
have no desire but that God's will may be accom- 
plished." The blessedness of such a soul is indeed 
indescribable. It is an inward death, out of which 
springs inward and eternal life ; a self-annihilation, out 
of which rises immortal power. The man who has 
the true quietude is like a large ship firmly at anchor 
in a storm. The clouds gather around, the winds blow, 
the heavy waves dash against her, but she rides safe in 
her position, in conscious dignity and power. Or per- 
haps his situation is more nearly expressed by the 
memorable and sublime simile of Goldsmith : — 

" As some tall cliff, that rears its awful form, 
Swells from the vale and midway leaves the storm, — 
Though round its breast the rolling clouds are spread, 
Eternal sunshine settles on its head." 

But some will say, " Is there to be no action ? and are 
we to do nothing ? " A person in this state of mind, 
being at rest in the will of God, and never out of that 
divine will, is operative precisely as God would have 
him so ; moving as God moves, stopping where God 
stops. He is at rest, but never idle. His God forbids 
idleness. Therefore he keeps in the line of divine 
cooperation, and works with God. There may be less 
of vain and noisy pretension, and sometimes less of out- 
ward and visible activity ; but there is far more wisdom. 
and far more actual efficiency ; for God is with him. 



358 



CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

ADDITIONAL REMARKS ON THE STATE OP INTERIOR 
STILLNESS. 

Fenelon has somewhere remarked to this effect, that 
in our inward feelings, u it is often more easy to perceive 
what is the result of nature than of grace.'' 1 This 
remark may perhaps be of doubtful correctness in the 
view of some persons ; but it is certainly worthy of 
serious examination. If it be true, it is a remark which 
involves important principles. 

We are aware that the common opinion is the oppo- 
site of this. It is generally supposed that the emotions 
and affections of the religious life are more marked and 
perceptible than those of the natural life. It seems to 
be a prevalent idea, that a person who is not internally 
perceptive of strong emotions and affections, has but 
little claims to depth and power of religious experience. 
It is implied in this idea, that there must be a salient or 
projective aspect to these feelings, so that to the subjects 
of them they shall appear, in comparison with other 
feelings, to stand out distinctly and prominently percep- 
tible. It is to this particular phasis of the common 
doctrine, that the remark of Fenelon — viz., that, in our 
inward experience, it is more easy to perceive what is 
the result of nature than of grace — is particularly op- 
posed. He would not by any means deny the strength 
of religious emotions and feelings in those who are 
truly and eminently pious. This would be a great 
error. His idea is that, when the soul is wholly given 
to God, there is such an entire harmony and internal 
rest, that no one of the religious affections, however 
strong they may be, is comparatively so much in ad' 



AI'lUTl* iNAJL REMARKS ON INTERIOR STILLNESS. 359 

vance of what might reasonably be expected of other 
religious feelings, as necessarily to claim and secure a 
distinct and particular notice. All are the subjects of a 
perfect relative adjustment ; all are kept in their place 
by the superintendence of the principle of perfect love ; 
all are sprinkled over and bright with the celestial dew ; 
so that one part or exercise is as beautiful in its place as 
another, and as much calculated to arrest particular 
attention as another. The result is the harmony, the 
internal stillness, and the beauty, which must ever 
characterize true holiness. 

This doctrine is in accordance with the facts which 
from time to time present themselves to notice in the 
annals of personal Christian experience. The interest- 
ing form of the religious life, of which this doctrine 
may be regarded as the theological or philosophical 
expression, seems, indirectly at least, to be indicated in 
those beautiful expressions in 2d Corinthians, where the 
apostle, speaking of himself and others, says, "as un- 
known, and yet well known ; as dying, and, behold, 
we live ; as chastened, and not killed ; as sorrowful, yet 
always rejoicing ; as poor, yet making many rich ; as 
having nothing ', and yet possessing all things." He 
who is known and yet unknown, dying and yet living,' 
sorrowful yet rejoicing, poor yet communicating riches, 
having nothing and yet possessing all things, is the 
subject of feelings, the result of whose various action, 
strange as it may seem, is perfect harmony and internal 
calm. His fame is counterbalanced and harmonized by 
his obscurity ; his sorrow by his joy ; his poverty by 
his riches; his absolute possession of nothing by his 
possession of all things ; — so that the soul, pressed as it 
were by equal forces in opposite directions, necessaiily 
maintains the central position of interior rest. 

The state of mind, of which we are speaking, appears 
to be disclosed in one of the short prayers that are 
found in Fenelon's Pious Reflections ; a part of which 
is as follows : — 

" O Lord, I know not what I should ask of th«e, 



360 ADDITIONAL REMARKS ON THE 

Thou only knowest What i want; and thou lovest me, 
if J 3Jn thy friend, better than I can love myseif. O 
Lord, give to me, thy child, what is proper, whatsoever 
it may be. I dare not ask either crosses or comforts. I 
only present myself before thee. I open my heail to 
thee Behold my wants, which I am ignorant of; but 
do thou behold and do according to thy mercy. Smite, 
or heil ! Depress me, or raise me up ! I adore all thy 
purposes, without knowing them. I am silent. I offer 
myself in sacrifice." 

Such supplications give evidence of a mind that is 
at rest in itself ; a mind that reposes with entire confi- 
dence, whatever may be its temptations and sorrows, 
upon the Divine Mind. 

The religious state of Madam Guyon, in the latter 
part of her life, illustrates this form of Christian experi- 
ence. "In these last times," she says, "I can hardly 
speaK at all of my dispositions. It is because my state 
has become simple and without variations. It is a pro- 
found annihilation. I find nothing in myself to which 
I can give a name ; [that is, no feelings so specific and 
remarkable, separate from this simplicity and this loss 
of self in God, as to enable me to describe them.] All 
that I know is, that God is infinitely holy, righteous, 
good, and happy." " All good is in him. As to myself, 
I am a mere nothing. To me every condition seems 
equal. All is lost in his immensity, like a drop of 
water in the sea. In this divine immensity, the soul 
sees itself no more." 

In that state of internal experience, which is described 
by Madam Guyon, there seems to be a perfect balance 
and harmony of the different parts of the mind. There 
may be deep feeling, (and there is in reality very deep 
feeling,) but it is so perfectly controlled by a sense of 
union with the will of God, that the result is complete 
simplicity and rest of soul. Just as it is in a piece of 
complicated machinery : if the wheels and other parts 
are out of order, or if there is much friction, the action 
of the machinery is perplexed, and is really weak 



STATE OF INTERIOR STILLNESS. 361 

although there is exceedingly great jarring and discord- 
ant noise. Bat when the wheels are all in position, 
and there is no friction, the action may be one of tremen- 
dous power, and yet so easy and quiet as to be hardly 
perceptible. And such is the true kingdom of God in 
the soul. It comes and exists with power, but with 
great simplicity. There is nothing in it, in itself con- 
sidered, which is calculated to attract and secure worldly 
observation. It is mighty ; but, like God himself, it is 
inwardly silent ; "a still, small voice." The religiously 
quiet man, that is to say, the man who is inwardly and 
truly subdued and quiet, in consequence of religion, is 
really the man of great religious strength ; and yet this 
strength, in consequence of that harmonious silence of 
movement, which is the result of its own perfection, is 
so hidden from his view, that he seems to be hardly 
conscious of its existence. But it is very different with 
the natural man ; and also with the Christian, who still 
retains a large infusion of the natural element. While 
the operations of the sanctified man are harmonious and 
quiet, and therefore are withdrawn, in a great meas- 
ure, from distinct inward notice, those of the natural 
mind are not only self-interested, but are restless, impet- 
uous, and contradictory, and therefore, as a matter of 
course, are mentally prominent and perceptible. The 
true controlling principle of the mind, in the case of the 
natural man, is gone ; and its parts in action strike and 
jar upon each other with an inward concussion, like 
the hinges of the gates of hell, that grate "harsh 
thunder." 

31 



362 



CHAPTER TWELFTH. 

ON THE TRUE IDEA OF INTERIOR ANNIHILATION OP 
NOTHINGNESS. 

When we use the phrase " interior annihilation," we 
of course use it in a mitigated or qualified sense, as 
meaning not an entire extinction of any principles within 
us, but only an extinction of certain irregularities of 
their action. In other words, it is not an absolute anni- 
hilation ; but only the annihilation of any thing and 
every thing which is wrong ; the annihilation of what 
the Scriptures call the " old man," in distinction from 
the " new man, created anew in Christ Jesus." Per- 
haps we should not refer to this form of expression at 
all, nor make any remarks upon it, although it is some- 
times a convenient one in the description of internal 
experience, were it not that it is often employed, or 
some phrase of equivalent import, in writers, particu- 
larly those of an ancient date, on the interior religious 
life. I believe, also, it is quite common among many 
Christians, at the present time, to speak in rather a loose 
way of their Nothingness, of the importance of feeling 
that they are Nothing, and the like ; which shows that 
this form of expression indicates the existence of some 
great practical truth, although it maybe but indistinctly 
developed, which is clear to the religious mind. We 
shall give our ideas on this subject as plainly and con- 
cisely as we can. 

First. The state of inward annihilation is char- 
acterized, in the first place, by the extinction of all un- 
regulated or unsanctified love of created things, or 
" love of the creatures," as it is sometimes expressed. 
Accordingly, we cannot say that a person is interiorlv 



ON INTERIOll ANNIHILATION OR NOTHINGNESS. 363 

lost or annihilated, who is in any degree the slave of 
his appetites. The action of the appetites, when 
directed to their original objects, and when subjected 
to the regulation of a punned conscience, is undoubt- 
edly consistent with this state ; that is to say, when 
they are exercised, not from a view to the mere pleasure 
which they afford, but in accordance with their primi- 
tive constitution, and consequently in accordance with 
the will of God. But he who takes delight in the 
pleasures of the senses, and indulges the lower appetites 
of our nature, that the attendant pleasures rather than 
*he original objects of the senses may be realized, has 
not so crucified and slain himself, that he can be said 
to be inwardly annihilated. There is still within him- 
self the germination and the growth of that form of 
selfish gratification which may properly be called a 
"love of the creatures." 

A similar statement may be made in regard to those 
principles which are understood to be higher in rank 
than the Appetites ; and which, in order to distinguish 
them from the lower or appetitive part of our nature, 
may properly be denominated the Propensities and the 
Affections ; such as the social propensity, the desire of 
knowledge, the desire of esteem, the filial affection, the 
parental affection, friendship, and the love of country. 
If these propensive principles and affections, whatever 
comparative rank they may sustain, are not perfectly 
subordinated to the principle of supreme love to God, — if 
they exist in such a degree as to be in conflict with 
what the law of God requires, — then it is very clear that 
the state of mind does not exist, which, in the language 
of religious experience, is denominated " interior anni- 
hilation." There is still a vigorous portion of the life 
of the " old man," which has not been slain. And 
hence it is, that we lay down the extinction of the love 
of created things, or "love of the creatures," with the 
explanation and illustration of the meaning of the terms 
just given, as one of the characteristics of the state 
of mind under consideration Of a person who is 



364 ON THE TRUE IDEA OF INTERIOR 

thus interiorly annihilated it can be truly said, "he is 
crucified to the world, and the world is crucified to 
him." 

Second. Another mark or characteristic of that state 
of mind which is described as interior annihilation, is the 
extinction of self-will. He who is annihilated and lost 
to himself has no will of his own. We ought to re- 
mark here, that, when we speak of the extinction of 
inordinate creature-love and of self-will, we do not 
mean to imply that the mind is rendered naturally or 
physically incapable of such irregular exercises ; b.ut 
merely that the work of grace in the heart has been so 
deep, that there is, at the present time, a practical ex- 
tinction of all such wrong internal acts. We are no 
longer troubled with them. Acting from supreme love 
to God has become the confirmed principle and habit of 
the mind ; so that sensual pleasure, and worldly ap- 
plause, and private ends of whatever kind, have lost 
their power. We have no pleasure of our own ; we 
have no desires of our own : we have no will of our 
own. Under all circumstances, rejecting all wisdom and 
all plans originating in ourselves, our inquiry is, " What 
wilt thou have me to do ? " " God within us," the 
divine image, living operatively in the soul, is the all- 
powerful and absorbing principle. 

Third. The state of interior nothingness is charac- 
terized, further, by the extinction of the power of antece- 
dent evil habits. A person may be sanctified to God, 
his heart may be pure in the divine sight, and still there 
may be a constant struggle on the part of the "old 
man," or the " old nature," to regain possession. It is 
difficult to explain this, viz., that a truly holy heart may 
still have a struggle antagonistical to sin, and oftentimes 
a fearful struggle ; but it is probably owing, in addition 
to the direct temptations of Satan, to the tremendous 
power of antecedent evil habits. The principle of self- 
love, for instance, may by divine grace be redeemed from 
its selfish attitude, and may be brought to its true sub- 
jective position, and become a holy principle ; and yet, in 



ANNIHILATION OR NOTHINGNESS. 365 

consequence of its previous habits of inordinate exer- 
cise, there may be a strong tendency, which requires 
constant resistance, to resume its former position of ir- 
regularity and sin. This tendency is not, properly 
speaking, in the principle itself; but is forced upon it 
exteriorly ', if we may so express it, by the law of habit ; 
and therefore, although it is extremely dangerous, it does 
not appear to be necessarily sinful. The idea may here 
perhaps be illustrated in the case of the reformed inebri- 
ate. He has refrained from drinking ; but the influence 
of the antecedent law of habit is still felt in his system. 
He is no longer guilty of the sin of drinking ; but his 
liability to fall into this sin is greatly increased by his 
antecedent evil habit. There is, undoubtedly, some- 
thing mysterious in this ; but it seems, nevertheless, to 
be true. He feels that, in consequence of his former 
evil habits, the enemy is near at hand and in great pow- 
er ; that his danger is thereby increased, and that he 
must always be in the attitude of watchfulness and of 
resistance. Something like this is the case with those 
who have just entered into that state where they can 
say they "love the Lord with all their heart." The 
enemy is cast out ; but he avails himself of the influ- 
ence of the law of habit, to take a hostile attitude and 
to seek a reentrance. 

Now, when a person has experienced the state of in- 
terior nothingness, as it is conveniently, perhaps, and 
yet not accurately termed, he has, by divine grace, not 
only succeeded in conquering sin in the gigantic forms 
of creature-love and of self-will, but in breaking down 
the perplexing influence and the unfavorable tendency 
of former habits. And hence there is a vast accession 
to his power, and to his tendency to union with God. 
Satan himself, in the presentation of his temptations, 
has comparatively but little influence over such a soul. 
He has, comparatively speaking, no basis to operate 
upon ; no way of secret, circuitous, and indirect attack j 
but must come boldly up and make his attack face to 
face, as he did in his temptation of the blessed Savior ; 
31* 



366 ON THE TRUE ILEA OF INTERIOR 

and this he would rather not do, if he can approach thb 
object of his attack in some other way. 

Fourth. It is a further characteristic of the mental 
state which we are considering, that a person in this 
state of mind has no disposition to exercise self-reflecting 
acts, originating either in undue self-love or in a want of 
faith. What I mean to say is, that, when he has done 
his duty, he no longer turns back upon himself and 
asks, as the half-way Christian often does, " What does the 
world think of me ? " Divested of all selfish purposes 
and aims, and having no will of his own, he acts delib- 
erately and supremely for God ; and therefore he feels 
that whatever is done, so far as motives and intentions 
are concerned, is well done. In that respect, no trouble 
enters his mind. There is no need of retrospection ; no 
need of apologies to cavillers. Indeed, he can scarcely 
be said to exercise retrospective acts and reflections upon 
himself in any sense whatever. Such acts seem to be, 
to some extent, inconsistent with the fact that his heart 
is fixed exclusively upon an object out of himself. What 
is done, stands written in the record of his Divine Mas- 
ter ; and there he leaves it. His whole soul is given 
to the present moment. The present moment is given 
to God. 

Fifth. Another and remarkable characteristic of this 
state of mind is this : He who is the subject of it is dead 
and crucified to all internal joys, also, as well as to all 
pleasures and joys of an external kind. He has no sym- 
pathy with those who are always crying, " Make me 
happy — pay me well, and I will be holy." Per- 
sonal happiness, as a supreme or even a separate object 
of desire, never enters his thought. It makes no dif- 
ference what the form of that happiness is, whether 
pleasures of the senses or pleasures of the mind. He is 
willing to abandon and sacrifice even the pure and sub- 
lime pleasure, almost the only consolation left to him m 
this sad world, which flows from communion with those 
who, like himself, are sanctified to God. His true hap- 
piness consists in-hanging upon the cross, and in being 



ANNIHILATION OR NOTHINGNESS. 367 

crucified to self. Whether he is tempted or not tempted, 
interiorly and in the bottom of his heart he can say, " All 
is well." Whether he suffers or does not suffer, the throne 
of peace is erected in the centre of his soul. Wretchedness 
and joy are alike. He welcomes sorrow, even the deep- 
est sorrow of the heart, with as warm a gush of grati- 
tude as he welcomes happiness, if the will of God is 
accomplished. In that will his soul is lost, as in a bot- 
tomless ocean. "Lord, I will not follow thee," say& a 
devout person, " by the way of consolations and self- 
pleasures, but only by love. I desire thee only, and 
nothing out of thee, for myself. If I ever mention any 
thing as appertaining to me, if I name myself, I mean 
thee only ; for thou only art me and mine. My whole 
essence is in thee. I desire nothing which comes from 
thee, but thee thyself. I had rather suffer forever the 
cruel torments of hell, than enjoy eternal happiness 
without thee. If I knew I should be annihilated, yet 
would I serve thee with the same zeal ; for it is not 
for my sake, but thine, that I serve thee. O, how 
great is my joy, that thou art sovereignly good and 
perfect! "* 

In connection with what has been said, it will not be 
surprising when we say further, that the person to whom 
these statements will apply, makes but little account of 
raptures, visions, ecstasies, special illuminations, sudden 
and remarkable impressions, or any thing of the kind, 
except so far as they tend (which, alas ! is frequently not 
the case) to extinguish self, and to lead the soul into the 
abyss of the Supreme Divinity. 

Finally. The soul that has reached the centre of 
its Nothing, (that is, is absolutely and forever nothing 
relatively to self) remains without resistance in the 
hands of God, like clay in the hands of the potter. It 
has become perfectly pliable and impressible to the di- 



* Cardinal Bona, as quoted in Fenelon's Pastoral Letter on the Love 
of God. See also, for similar sentiments, Bona's Principes dc la Vit 
Chr6tienne % ch. 47. 



368 ON THE TRUE IDEA OF INTERIOR 

vine touch. Such a soul is peculiarly the subject of 
that ennobling form of prayer, which is called in certain 
writers the Receptive or Passive Prayer ; that is to say, 
a prayer which is inspired rather than self-originated — 
which is given rather than self-produced. Entirely di- 
vested of those habits of self-activity which are so 
common, and which, in consequence of preceding or of 
perplexing the operations of the Holy Spirit, are so in- 
jurious, the soul remains quiet and childlike in the divine 
presence. Like the placid lake, that receives, and re- 
flects to the eye of the beholder, the image of trees and 
flowers on its banks, returning image for image, without 
a stem disarranged or a petal broken ; so, in all the hid- 
den aspirations which it constantly sends forth, it pas- 
sively and almost unconsciously receives and reflects 
the image of God — an image which is not distorted by 
the mixture of self-originated acts, nor marred by the 
disturbing power of internal agitation. God loves to 
leave the impress of his blessed image on the self-anni- 
hilated soul ; and the prayer which it breathes, as it is 
not self-moved, but moves as it is moved upon, may 
truly be regarded as the praying breath of the Holy 
Spirit, who always dwells in the soul that knows itself 
no more. 

We may see, therefore, how strong must be the posi- 
tion of the Divine Mind (the Deus agens inter, as it 
has been expressed in the Latin) in the self-annihilated 
soul — a soul, in the language of Michael de Molinos, 
" desiring as if it did not desire ; willing as if it did not 
will ; understanding as if it did not understand ; think- 
ing as if it did not think ; without inclining to any 
thing, [that is, independently of the will of God ;] em- 
bracing equally contempts and honors, benefits and cor- 
rections. O, what a happy soul is this, which is thus 
dead and annihilated ! It lives no longer in itself, be- 
cause God lives in it. And now it may most truly be 
said of it, that it is a renewed phoenix, because it is 
changed, spiritualized, and transformed into the divine 
image.'' 



ANNIHILATION OR NOTHINGNESS. 36^ 

And again, he says, " We seek ourselves every time 
we get out of our Nothing ; and, therefore, we never 
get to quiet and perfect contemplation. Creep in, as far 
as ever thou canst, into the truth of thy Nothing ; and 
then nothing will disquiet thee ; nay, thou wilt be hum- 
ole and ashamed, losing openly thy own reputation and 
esteem. 

" O, what a strong bulwark wilt thou find of that 
Nothing ! Who can ever afflict thee, if thou dost once 
retire into that fortress ! Because the soul, which is 
despised by itself, and in its own knowledge is nothing, 
is not capable of receiving grievance or injury from any 
body. The soul which keeps within its Nothingness 
is internally silent, lives resigned in any torment what- 
soever, by thinking it less than it doth deserve ; is free 
from abundance of imperfections, and becomes com- 
mander of great virtues. While the soul keeps still and 
quiet in its Nothingness, the Lord draws his own 

IMAGE AND LIKENESS IN IT, WITHOUT ANY THING TO 
HINDER IT." * 

* See the Abstract of the Spiritual Guide of Molinos, ch? 19, 20. 



*70 



CHAPTER THIRTEENTH. 



ON THE STATE OF UNION WITH GOD. 

Among the higher forms of Christian experience, as 
'we find them described by writers on experimental reli- 
gion, there is a state of mind which we find denominated 
the state of union. It is also frequently called, by a 
phrase which intimates the same thing, the unitive state 
L of mind. This state of mind is not unfrequently implied, 
and even described, by devout writers, without a formal 
mention of it by name. Archbishop Leighton, for in- 
stance, speaks of the Christian who perceives himself 
u knit to God, and his soul more fast and joined nearer 
to him than to his own body." The following prayer 
is ascribed to John Climacus, many centuries since a 
devout and learned recluse of Mount Sinai. " My God, 
I pretend to nothing upon this earth, except to be so 
firmly united to thee by prayer, that to be separated 
from thee may be impossible. Let others desire riches 
and glory ; for my part I desire but one thing, and that 
is, to be inseparably united to thee, and to place in 
thee alone all my hopes of happiness and repose." These 
expressions indicate a full belief, on the part of this de- 
vout person, of the existence of the state of present mental 
union with God, as well as earnest desire for it. There 
are repeated allusions to this state of mind in the works 
of Kempis and Tauler ; writers who, although Catholics, 
are favorably mentioned by Luther, and have always 
been much esteemed by Protestant Christians. Sir 
Henry Vane, one of the English Puritans, a man reli- 
giously as well as politically memorable, wrote a religious 
treatise, which in part had express relation to this subject, 



ON THE STATE OF UNION WITH GOD. 371 

entitled, On the Love of God, and Union with God. 

Many pious persons in more modern times, and in differ- 
ent denominations of Christians, have spoken very em- 
phatically of their union with the Divine Mind, and in 
such way as to leave the impression, that they consid- 
ered the state of union as a distinct and peculiar as well 
as a very desirable and eminent modification of Christian 
experience. " Time would fail me," says Lady Maxwell, 
" to tell of the numberless manifestations of divine love 
and power. I have, though deeply unworthy, been fa- 
vored with such wonderful lettings into Deity as no 
language can describe or explain ; but the whole soul 
dilates itself in the exquisite enjoyment; so refined, so 
pure, so tempered with sacred awe, so guarded by heav- 
enly solemnity, as effectually to prevent all irregularity of 
desires. These, with every power of the mind, bow in 
holy subjection before Jehovah. Surely the feelings of 
the soul on these memorable occasions are nearly similar 
to those enjoyed by the heavenly inhabitants. I have 
it still to remark, that all my intercourse with God the 
Father is strongly marked with that superior solemnity 
and awe which lay and keep the soul in the dust, yet 
raised to that holy dignity which flows from a con- 
sciousness of union icith the Deity." 

First. Proceeding now to make a few general remarks 
in explanation of the subject, we observe, in the first 
place, that the name Unitive State, or State of Divine 
Union, is derived from the peculiar state of mind which 
exists. The precise state of the soul, stated in general 
terms, seems to be one of close and ineffable conformity 
with the Divine Mind. It is called the state of union, 
therefore, simply because it is such. We cannot help 
regarding this state of mind, if it be rightly understood, 
as a scriptural one. Is it too much to say, that there is a 
recognition of it in those remarkable, and to some persons 
inexplicable passages which are found in the latter part 
of John's Gospel? — passages which, however mysteri- 
ous they may appear to many at the present time, have 
nevertheless a real meaning ; and, as the church advances 



372 ON THE STATE OF UNION WITH GOD. 

in holiness, will undoubtedly be made clear and full of 
import in connection with the personal experience of 
multitudes. " Neither pray I for these alone ; but for 
them also, which shall believe on me through their word. 
That they may all be one ; as thou, Father, art in me 
and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, that the 
world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the 
glory, which thou gavest me, I have given them, that 
they may be one, even as we are one. I in them and 
thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one ; and 
that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and 
hast loved them as thou hast loved me." John xvii. 
20, 23. 

Second. The following principle appears to lie at the 
■' foundation of the doctrine of divine union, as we find it 
represented in various writers, viz. : That all moral and 
accountable beings, just in proportion as they are freed 
from the dominion of sin, have a natural and inherent 
tendency to unite with God. Of the correctness of this 
principle, when properly understood, there does not 
appear to be any reasonable doubt. It is nothing 
more nor less than this, — that holy beings recognize in 
each other a mutual relationship of character, and are led, 
by the very necessities of their nature, to seek each other 
in the reciprocal exercise of love. In other words, noth- 
ing appears to them so exceedingly good, desirable, and 
lovely as holiness, whenever and wherever found. Ac- 
cordingly, just as soon as we feel that our sins are par- 
doned, and have an inward consciousness that faith in 
Christ, who is "the way, the truth, and the life," is 
working by love and purifying the heart, we begin to 
^ feel also a secret union with the Savior, not only as our 
atoning sacrifice, but as a holy being, and as a true 
■ representative of the Divinity in the flesh. And just in 
"proportion as we grow in grace and become free from 
sin, we shall find this state of union with the Savior 
increasing. And union with Christ (a real union, such 
as that of the branch when it is united to the vine) is 
followed, in the natural progress of the religious life, 



ON THE STATE OF UNION WITH GOD. 373 

Dy union, through Christ and in Christ, with God the 
Father ; in accordance with the remarkable prayer of the 
Savior, which has already been referred to, " that they 
all may be one ; as thou, Father, art in me and I in 
thee, that they also may be one fn us." And it is jo; 
accordance with this view, that Lady Maxwell, whose 
religious experience, especially in the latter part of her 
life, is exceedingly interesting and instructive, remarks, 
in expressions which convey an important truth, though 
perhaps liable to be misunderstood, " Jehovah teaches 
and enables me to pass through Jesus as the way to 
himself." In a single word, union, (whether we look at 
the subject in the light of nature or in the light of God's 
word,) union, pure, strong, inseparable, and without 
regard to natural or physical differences, is the one great 
and necessary law of holy beings. Just in proportion as 
our sin is taken away, the element of separation is taken 
away ; and the soul, delivered from the clogs which 
fastened it to that which is not God, returns instinctively 
and unerringly to the Infinite Centre. 

And it should not be forgotten, also, that there is the 
same tendency on the part of God, a tendency which 
his holy nature renders necessary and invariable, to enter 
into this intimate union. No matter how inferior holy 
beings may be ; they may be mere insects in capacity ; 
still the holy heart of God loves them, seeks them, 
becomes one with them. In a very important sense, 
inasmuch as their holiness cannot be regarded as ^elf- 
originated, they are a part of himself by their very na- 
ture. Hence the doctrine so distinctly and strikingly 
laid down in the writings of Dr. Cudworth. Speaking 
of holiness, he says, " If it be but hearty and sincere, it 
can no more be cut off and discontinued from God, than 
a sunbeam here upon earth can be broken off from its 
intercourse with the sun, and be left alone amidst the mire 
and dirt of this lower world. Holiness is something of 
God, wherever it is. It is an efflux from him, that 
always hangs upon him and lives in him ; as the sun- 
beams, although they gild this lower world, and spread 
32 



374 ON THE STATE OF UNION WITH GOD. 

their golden wings over us, yet they are not so much 
here, where they shine, as in the sun, from whence they 
flow." The necessity of this union on the part of holy 
beings, and on the part of God, as well as on the part of 
other holy beings, seems to me to be clearly implied in 
that beautiful passage of Scripture, " God is love j and 
he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in 
him." 

Third. We remark again, in the third place, that 
union with God, considered as a form of Christian expe- 
rience, is not a physical union, a union of essence with 
essence physically, but a moral and religious union. It 
would hardly be necessary to make this remark, were it 
not that some pious writers on this subject make use of 
strong expressions, which may be easily misunderstood 
and misapplied, but which obviously were not designed 
to be, and ought not to be, taken in their physical or lit- 
eral import. The passages of Scripture which recog- 
nize and which require the union of the regenerated 
mind of man with the mind of his Maker, or with the 
mind of Christ, are in some instances exceedingly strong, 
and seem to require a modified interpretation. All that 
is necessary is, that we should exhibit in other cases the 
discrimination and candor which generally characterize 
our interpretations of the Scriptures. But although we 
are not to understand, from the language of the writers 
on this subject, that there is a physical union, or a union 
which would imply, in any sense, the loss of our own 
personality and accountability, they undoubtedly mean 
to teach the existence and the reality of a moral and 
religious union, as close and intimate as such a union 
possibly can be : a union entirely analogous, in all prob- 
ability, to that pure and blessed union, which existed 
between Christ Jesus, considered in his human nature, 
and his heavenly Father. 

Fourth. The existence of the unitive state does not 
necessarily imply inward manifestations and raptures of 
an extraordinary kind. On the contrary, such manifes- 
tations, and joys and raptures, of a remarkable character, 



ON THE STATE OF JNION tVITH GOD. 37 £> 

which would be likely to attract attention to themselves 
as distinct objects of notice, and thus nourish the life of 
self, would be unfavorable, rather than otherwise, to the 
existence of the state of mind under consideration. This 
state of mind implies, however, the existence, in the 
highest degree, of those two great elements of the reli- 
gious life, to which the reader's attention has been repeat- 
edly called, viz., Consecration, which separates us from 
every known sin, and lays all upon the altar of God as a 
perpetual sacrifice ; and Faith, which leaves all in God's 
hands, and which receives and accepts no wisdom, no 
goodness, no strength, but what comes from God as the 
true source of inward and everlasting life. Consecration 
renounces the all of the creature ; faith recognizes and 
accepts the all of God. Consecration implies the rejec- 
tion and hatred of all evil ; faith implies the reception 
and love of all good. The one alienates, abhors, and 
tramples under foot all unsanctified natural desires, aims, 
and purposes ; the other approves, receives, and makes 
a part of its own self, all the desires, aims, and purposes 
of God ; and both are implied and involved, and are 
carried to their highest possible exercise, in the state of 
divine union. 

Fifth. The mind, in the state of union with God, is 
disposed to indulge in subdued and affectionate acts of 
contemplation, rather than in examinative and discursive 
or reasoning acts. It is undoubtedly the case, that the 
mind may remain fixed upon God, and may be in a cer- 
tain sense united to him, in what may variously be 
called a perceptive, reflective, or discursive manner ; that 
is to say, engaged in a perceptive or speculative view of 
him, occupied in the critical examination of his various 
attributes, his justice, wisdom, and goodness, or some- 
thing of the kind. But something more than this kind 
of union is implied in the state of mind which we are 
now speaking of. The examinative or discursive state 
of the mind implies the presence of God to the intellect 
merely ; the contemplative state, although not altogether 
excluding an intellectual view, implies his presence to 



376 ON THE STATE OF UNION WITH GOD. 

the heart. And it is on this ground that we make the* 
remark, that the mind, in the state of divine union, is 
~ather contemplative than perceptive and examinative 

I have sometimes supposed, that something like the 
unitive state of mind, which it is so difficult to describe, 
might perhaps exist in the case of a blind child, who 
has an attentive and affectionate father. The child, 
being blind from birth, has visually and perceptively no 
distinct knowledge of his father. But he knows there 
is an object present to him, though unseen ; and that 
this outward and unseen being is ever beneficent and 
ever active in securing his happiness. He has but an 
indefinite and obscure notion of his form, and is not 
capable of any accurate analysis of his character ; but 
his mind rests in the general complex idea of an ever- 
present being, who, although he is unseen, and in 
many of his attributes is essentially unknown, is never- 
theless the precise object which of all others is the 
most fitted to secure, and is the most worthy of, his love. 
It is thus contemplatively rather than discursively that 
his father is ever present to his thoughts, and is ever 
the object of his almost adoring affections. 

Sixth. The state of divine union may exist under 
two modifications ; the one characterized by our being 
distinctly conscious of its existence, the other without 
such consciousness. The union of the human with the 
divine mind, when it is once originated, is not easily 
broken. The fact, for instance, of our being taken up 
at times with indispensable worldly cares, does not 
necessarily destroy the state of union, although we may 
not be distinctly percipient or conscious of it at such 
times. But what we wish to remark here is, that the 
state in question, whenever it is the subject of distinct 
inward notice or consciousness, seems to be character- 
ized, among other marks, by a tendency, not only to 
inward contemplation, but to outward silence. At such 
times the soul appears to know but one object, and that 
is God ; and to have but one feeling, and that is love. 
It is drawn inwardly ; and outward objects seem to 



ON THE STATE OF UNION WITH GOD, 377 

have but little influence. Hence words are few. It 
has but little disposition to express even what itself 
feels. In fact, the conversation which is carried on ati 
such times between the soul and God is too high for 
human language ; and, what is more, it is carried on 
with a Being who can understand the soul's meaning 
without the medium of human speech. The conversa- 
tion is with God, and not with men ; and is in God's 
manner, and not after the manner of men ; and, there- 
fore, it would be difficult to repeat it, even if there were 
a disposition to do it. The soul, in its attitude of serene 
and fixed contemplation, continually but silently repeats 
to itself sentiments of trust and adoration, of gratitude 
and love. God recognizes the import of Ifhis hidden 
language, and returns it, by condescendingly unveiling 
himself in his amiableness and benevolence. There is 
a constant flowing and re-flowing of affection ; love 
ascending to God and love returning ; so that there in 
not only a consciousness of love to God on the part of 
the person ; but, what is yet more striking, there is a 
consciousness, or rather a deeply-wrought conviction, 
that God loves him in return. He can say, in the beau* 
tifui expressions of the Canticles, " Thou dost place thy 
left hand under my head, and with thy right hand 
thou dost embrace me j and thy banner over me is 
love." 

Seventh. It is very obvious, that this state of mind 
cannot be fully understood, except in connection with 
inward experience. In the language of the author of 
the Life of Sir Henry Vane, " Divine life must have 
divine words ; words which the Holy Ghost teacheth, 
to give its own character." * Therefore we will not 
attempt to pursue the topic any further than to say, that 
the state of union with God, when it is the subject of 
distinct consciousness, constitutes, without being neces- 
sarily characterized by revelations or raptures, the soul's 
spiritual festival, a season of special interior blessedness, 

* Life of Sir Henry Vane, anonymous, printed in 1662. 

32* 



d78 ON THE STATE OF UNION WITH GOD. 

a foretaste of heaven. The mind, unaffected by worldly 
vicissitudes and the strifes and oppositions of men, 
reposes deeply in a state of happy submission and qui- 
etude, in accordance with the expressions in the Epistle 
to the Hebrews, that those who believe " enter into 
rest." So true it is, in the language of Kempis, that 
"he who comprehendeth all things in His will, and 
beholdeth all things in His light, hath his heart fixed, 
and abideth in the peace of God." And in the language 
of Blosius, another devout writer of early times, such 
holy souls " enjoy the most calm and peaceable liberty, 
being lifted up above all fear and agitation of mind con- 
cerning death or hell, or any other things which might 
happen to the soul, either in time or in eternity." How 
can there be otherwise than the peace of God, pure, 
beautiful, sublime, when consecration is without reserve 
and faith is without limit ; and especially when self- 
will, the great evil of our fallen nature, is eradicated 
and subdued? What higher idea can we have of the 
most advanced Christian experience, than that of entire 
union with the Divine Will, by a subjection of the hu- 
man will ? When the will of man, ceasing from its di- 
vergences and its disorderly vibrations, becomes fixed 
to one point, henceforward immovable, always harmo- 
nizing, moment by moment, with God's central and ab- 
sorbing purposes, then we may certainly say that the 
soul, in the language which is sometimes applied to it, 
and in a modified sense of the terms, has become not 
only perfected in faith and love, but " united and one 
with God," and "transformed into the divine nature." — 
11 He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit." And 
from that moment, in its higher nature, and so far as it 
is not linked to earth by sympathies which its God has 
implanted, and which were smitten and bled, even in 
the case of the Savior, the soul knows sorrow no more ; 
the pain of its inward anguish is changed into rejoicing ; 
it has passed into the mount of stillness, the Tabor of 
inward transfiguration, the temple of unchanging tran- 
quillity. 






ON THE STATE OF UNION WITH GOD 379 

*« O, sacred union with the Perfect Mind ! 

Transcendent bliss, which thou alone canst give ' 
How blest are they this pearl of price who find, 

And, dead to earth, have learned in thee to live ' 

" Thus, in thine arms of love, O God, I lie ; 

Lost, and forever lost, to all but thee ! 
My happy soul, since it hath learned to die, 

Hath found new life in thine infinity. 

4 O, S°y an d learn this lesson of the Cross ; 

And tread the way which saints and prophets trod, 
Who, counting life, and self, and all things loss, 

Have found, in inward death, the life of God." 



380 



CHAPTER FOURTEENTH. 

ON VARIETIES OF CHRISTIAN CHARACTER 

Much more might, undoubtedly, be said on the intei- 
esting and important subjects to which our attention 
has been directed. But we leave them, for the present, 
to the serious reflections and the examination of others, 
with a few additional remarks in illustration of some 
varieties of Christian character. 

First. There are three classes of Christians, who 
seem to be easily distinguishable from each other. The 
first class are those who, destitute, in a considerable de- 
gree, of any marked spiritual manifestations and joys, 
may yet be said to possess faith. And in the possession 
of faith, they undoubtedly have the effective element 
of the inward life. Their faith, however, is weak. 
Their language is, " Lord, I believe : help thou mine un- 
belief." They have but little strength. In general, they 
move feebly and slowly ; and in some instances scarcely 
show signs of life. Some, however, exhibit a little 
more strength and activity than others ; and God honors 
them by employing them in the smaller charges and 
duties of his church. These cases are not without 
their encouragement. Such persons are often character- 
ized by the trait of humble perseverance. They grow 
in grace, though not rapidly ; and not unfrequently be- 
come strong in the end. As a general statement, they 
have not much to say in any period of their experience ; 
but they are not wanting in sincerity, and they cling to 
the cross of Christ, as the foundation of their hope. It 
is seldom that they make a strong impression upon the 
<vorld ; but their example is generally salutary. These 



ON VARIETIES OF CHRISTIAN CHARACTER. 381 

are not those who have been caught up to the " third 
heaven," and have seen wonderful things. 

Second. The second class are those who have had 
striking manifestations in the way of strong convictions 
and of subsequent great illuminations. From time to 
time, a remarkable impulse, a divine afflatus, if we may 
so express it, seems to come upon them, and they are 
borne on in a gale. Then comes a calm ; and they tem- 
porarily make but little progress. Sometimes they have 
great darkness ; but it is alternated with gleams of light. 
Nor is the light which they have always the pure and calm 
light which is of a heavenly origin ; but sometimes the 
red, meteor-like glare of an earthly fire. They may be 
said to have a considerable degree of faith ; but they evi- 
dently have less faith than feeling. Their mental his- 
tory, however, under its various changes, partakes in no 
small degree of the striking, the marvellous. These 
persons are generally the marked ones, the particular 
and bright stars in the church. They often have great 
gifts ; they labor for God; they attract attention. They 
overwhelm by their eloquence ; startle by their new and 
sometimes heretical views ; are denunciatory, argument- 
ative, prophetic, just as the occasion may call. But 
their movements are not always clear of self; and pride 
sometimes lurks at the bottom. They are " many men 
in one ; " without true fixedness and simplicity of char- 
acter ; but exhibiting themselves in different aspects, 
according as the natural or the spiritual life predomi- 
nates. Sometimes they are sunk deep in their own 
nothingness through the influence of the Spirit of God ; 
and sometimes they are up in the " airy mind " of na- 
ture's " inflatibility." They are undoubtedly very useful ; 
aiding themselves in the things of religion, and aiding 
others ; but it can hardly be said of them, that their life 
is hid with Christ in God. They think too much of 
their own efforts and powers ; they place too high an 
estimate on human instrumentality ; they do not fully 
understand the secret of their own nothingness ; nor do 
they know, in their own experience and to its full extent, 



382 ON VARIETIES OF CHRISTIAN CHARACTER. 

the meaning of self-crucifixion. Hence their confusion 
when, in their own view, things do not go right j hence 
their evident dejection, when the voice of the multitude 
is suddenly a little adverse to them ; hence their plans, 
their contrivances — too much like the plans and calcula- 
tions of human policy. They are not destitute of Chris- 
tian graces ; but they need more lowliness of heart, and 
more faith. Nevertheless, they have had much experi- 
ence of the divine goodness. God owns and blesses 
them ; and their memorial is often written in multitudes 
of grateful hearts. 

Third. A third class are those whose life may be 
said to be emphatically a life of faith, attended 
with an entire renunciation and crucifixion of self. 
Faith is not perfect until self is crucified ; and the 
converse is equally true, that perfect faith necessarily 
results in entire self-renunciation. 

In the second class of persons, which has been men- 
tioned, the spiritual life mingles more or less, and per- 
haps in nearly equal proportions, with the tendencies 
and activities of nature. The fire which blazes up 
from their hearts, and which often casts a broad light 
upon the surrounding multitude, is a mixed fire, partly 
from heaven and partly from earth. The natural unholy 
principles are not extinct ; but can only be said to be 
partly purified, and to be turned into a new channel. 
Hence they will oftentimes fight for God with the same 
zeal, and almost in the same manner, that worldly men 
fight for their temporary and worldly objects ; with great 
earnestness, with an unquiet and turbulent indignation, 
and sometimes with a cruelty of attack which vents 
itself in misrepresentations, and which persecutes even 
to prison and to death. 

But the class of Christians to whom we are now at- 
tending, having their souls fully fixed in God by faith, 
cannot consent to serve their heavenly Father with the 
instruments which Satan furnishes. They sow the seed ; 
but they have faith in the God of the harvest ; and they 
know that all will be well in the end. They are not inac- 



ON VARIETIES OF CHRISTIAN CHARACTER. 383 

tive ; but they move only at God's command, and in 
God's way ; and are fully satisfied with the result which 
God may see fit to give. At the command of the world 
or of a worldly spirit, they would not " turn upon theii 
heel to save their life." But to God they hold all in 
subjection ; atid they rest calmly in the great Central 
Power. These are men of a grave countenance ; of a 
retired life, except when duty calls to public action; of 
few words, simple manners, and inflexible principle. 
They have renounced self; and they naturally seek a 
low piace, remote from public observation and unreached 
by human applause. When they are silent to human 
hearing, they are conversing with God ; and when they 
open their lips and speak, it is the message which God 
gives, and is spoken with the demonstration of the 
Spirit. When they are apparently inactive, they are 
gaining strength from the Divine Fountain ; drinking 
nourishment into the inmost soul. And when they 
move, although with quiet step, the heart of the multi- 
tude is shaken and troubled at their approach, because 
God moves with them. There is no thunder, but the 
"still small voice; " no smoke, but consuming fire. 

These are the men of whom martyrs are made. 
When the day of great tribulation comes, when dun- 
geons are ready, and fires are burning, then God permits 
his children, who are weak in the faith, to stand aside. 
Then the illuminated Christians, those who live in the 
region of high emotion rather than of quiet faith, who 
have been conspicuous in the world of Christian activity, 
and have been as a pleasant and a loud song, and in many 
things have done nobly, will unfold to the right and the 
left, and let this little company, of whom the world is 
ignorant, and whom it cannot know, come up from their 
secret places to the great battle of the Lord. To them the 
prison is as acceptable as the throne ; the place of degrada- 
tion as the place of honor. They eat of the " hidden 
manna," and they have the secret name given them, 
" which no man knoweth." Ask them how they/ee/, and 
they will perhaps be startled, because their thoughts are 



384 ON VARIETIES OF CHRISTIAN CHARACTER. 

thus turned from God to themselves. And they will an- 
swer by asking what God wills. They have no feeling 
separate from the will of God. All high and low, all joy 
and sorrow, all honor and dishonor, all friendship and en- 
mity, are brought to a level, and are merged and lost in 
the great realization of God present in the heart. Hence 
chains and dungeons have no terrors ; a bed of fire is as 
a bed of down. 

It is here, in this class of persons, that we find the 
great grace of sanctification — a word, alas ! too little 
understood in the church. These are they, who, in the 
spirit of self-crucifixion, live by faith, and faitK only. 



3S5 



RELIGIOUS MAXIMS, 

HAVING A CONNECTION WITH THE DOCTRINES AND 
PRACTICE OF HOLINESS. 



I. 
Think much, and pray much, and let your words be few, and 
tittered with seriousness and deliberation, as in God's presence. 
And yet regard may be had to times and seasons. We may 
innocently act the child with children, which in the presence of 
grown persons would have the appearance of thoughtlessness 
and levity ; and may perhaps at times express our gratitude to 
God, and our holy joys, with an increased degree of freedom and 
vivacity, especially in the company of those who bear the same 
image, and who know what it is to rejoice in the Holy Ghost. 

ii. 

Be silent when blamed and reproached unjustly, and undei 
such circumstances that the reproachful and injurious person will 
be likely, from the influence of his own reflections, to discover 
his error and wrong speedily. Listen not to the suggestions of 
mature, which would prompt a hasty reply ; but receive the inju 
rious treatment with humility and calmness ; and He in whose 
name you thus suffer will reward you with inward consolation, 
while he sends the sharp arrow of conviction into the heart of 
four adversary. 

in. 

In whatever you are called upon to do, endeavor to maintain 
a. calm, collected, and prayerful state of mind. Self-recollection 
is of great importance. " It is good for a man to wait quietly 
for the salvation of the Lord." He who is in what may be 
called a spiritual hurry, or rather who runs without having evi- 
dence of being spiritually sent, makes haste to no purpose- 

IV. 

Seek holiness rather than consolation. Not that consolation 
is to be despised, or thought lightly of; but solid and permanent 
consolation is the result rather than the forerunner of holiness 
therefore he who seeks corsolation as a distinct and independent 
33 



386 RELIGIOUS MAXIMS. 

object will miss it. Seek and possess holiness, and consolation 
(not, perhaps, often in the form of ecstatic and rapturous joys, 
but rather of solid and delightful peace) will follow as assuredly 
as warmth follows the dispensation of the rays of the sun. He 

WHO IS HOLY MUST BE HAPPY. 

V. 

Be not disheartened because the eye of the world is constantly 
and earnestly fixed upon you, to detect your errors and to rejoice 
in your halting. But rather regard this state of things, trying as 
it may be, as one of the safeguards which a kind Father has 
placed around you, to keep alive in your own bosoms an antago- 
nist spirit of watchfulness, and to prevent those very mistakes 
and transgressions which your enemies eagerly anticipate. 

VI. 

Do not think it strange when troubles and persecutions come 
upon you. Rather receive them quietly and thankfully, as 
coming from a Father's hand. Yea, happy are ye, if, in the ex- 
ercise of faith, you can look above the earthly instrumentality, 
above the selfishness and malice of men, to Him who has per- 
mitted them for your good. Thus persecuted they the Savior 
and the prophets. 

VII. 

u Be ye angry and sin not." The life of our Savior, as well 
as the precepts of the apostles, clearly teaches us that there 
may be occasions on which we may have feelings of displeasure, 
and even of anger, without sin. Sin does not necessarily attach 
to anger, considered in its nature, but in its degree. Neverthe- 
less, anger seldom exists in fact, without becoming in its meas- 
urement inordinate and excessive. Hence it is important to 
watch against it, lest we be led into transgression. Make it a 
rule, therefore, never to give any outward expressions to angry 
feelings, (a course which will operate as a powerful check upon 
their excessive action,) until you have made them the subject of 
reflection and prayer. And thus you may hope to be kept. 

VIII. 

True peace of mind does not depend, as some seem to sup- 
pose i on the external incidents of riches and poverty, of health 
and sickness, of friendship and enmities. It has no necessary 
dependence upon society or seclusion ; upon dwelling in cities 
or in the desert ; upon the possession of temporal power, or a 
condition of temporal insignificance and weakness. " The 1 ng» 
dom of God is within yo 1 }." Let the heart be right, let it bi 
fully united with the will of God, and we shall be entirely con 



RELIGIOUS MAXIMS. 387 

tented with those circumstances in which Providence has seen 
fit to place us, however unpropitious they may be in a worldly 
point of view. He who gains the victory over himself gains 
the victory over all his enemies. 

IX. 

Some persons think of obedience as if it were nothing else, 
and could be nothing else, than servitude. And it must be ad- 
mitted, that constrained obedience is so. He who obeys by 
compulsion, and not freely, wears a chain upon his spirit which 
continually frets and torments, while it confines him. But this 
is not Christian obedience. To obey with the whole heart, in 
other words, to obey as Christ would have us, is essentially the 
same as to be perfectly resigned to the will of God ; having no 
will but his. And he must have strange notions of the interior and 
purified life, who supposes that the obedience which revolves 
constantly and joyfully within the limits of the Divine Will, par- 
takes of the nature of servitude. On the contrary, true obedience, 
that which has its seat in the affections, and which flows out like 
the gushing of water, may be said, in a very important sense, to 
possess not only the nature, but the very essence of freedom. 

x. 

A sanctified state of heart does not require to be sustained by 
any mere forms of bodily excitation. It gets above the domin- 
ion, at least in a very considerable degree, of the nerves and 
the senses. It seeks an atmosphere of calmness, of thought, of 
noly meditation. 

XI. 

Our spiritual strength will be nearly in proportion to the ab- 
sence of self-dependence and self-confidence. When we are 
weak in ourselves, we shall not fail, if we apply to the right 
source for help, to be found strong in the Lord. Madam Guy- 
on, speaking of certain temptations to which she had been ex- 
posed, says, " I then comprehended what power a soul has which 
is entirely annihilated." This is strong language ; but when it 
is properly understood, it conveys important truth. When we 
oink in ourselves, we rise in God. When we have no strength 
m ourselves, we have divine power in him who can subdue all 
his adversaries. " The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and 
my deliverer ; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust ; my 
ouckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower." 

XII. 

In proportion as the heart becomes sanctified, there is a di- 
minished tendency to enthusiasm and fanaticism. And this is 



388 RELIGIOUS MAXIMS. 

undoubtedly one of the leading tests of sanctification. One of the 
marks of an enthusiastic and fanatical state of mind, is a fiery 
and unrestrained impetuosity of feeling ; a rushing on, some- 
times very blindly, as if the world were in danger, or as if the 
great Creator were not at the helm. It is not only feeling with- 
out a good degree of judgment, but, what is the corrupting and 
fatal trait, it is feeling without a due degree of confidence in 
God. True holiness reflects the image of God in this respect 
as well as in others, that it is calm, thoughtful, deliberate, immu- 
table. And how can it be otherwise, since, rejecting its own 
wisdom and strength, it incorporates into itself the wisdom and 
strength of the Almighty ? 



The hidden life, which God imparts to his accepted people, 
may flourish in solitudes and deserts, far from the societies of 
men and the din and disturbance of cities. From the cave of 
the hermit, from the cell of the solitary recluse, the fervent 
prayer has often arisen, which has been acceptable in the sight 
of God. But it would be a strange and fatal misconception, that 
religion, even in its most pure and triumphant exaltations, can 
flourish nowhere else. The home of holiness is in the heart, 
irrespective of outward situations and alliances ; and therefore 
we may expect to find it, if there are hearts adapted to its re- 
ception and growth, in the haunts of business as well as in the 
silence of retirement ; in the palaces of Rome as well as in the 
deserts of the Thebais. It is a fatal mistake to suppose that we 
cannot be holy except on the condition of a situation and cir- 
cumstances in life such as shall suit ourselves. It is one of the 
first principles of holiness to leave our times and our places, our 
going out and our coming in, our wasted and our goodly heritage 
entirely with the Lord. Here, O Lord, hast thou placed us, and 
we will glorify thee here. 

XIV. 

In the agitations of the present life, beset and perplexed as we 
are with troubles, how natural it is to seek earnestly some place 
of rest ! And hence it is that we so often reveal our cares and 
perplexities to our fellow-men, and seek comfort and support 
from that source. But the sanctified soul, havng experienced 
the uncertainties of all human aids, turns instinctively to the 
great God ; and hiding itself in the presence and protection of 
the divine existence, it reposes there, as in a strong tower which 
no enemies can conquer, and as on an everlasting rock which no 
floc:ls can wash away. It knows the instructive import of that 



RELIGIOUS MAXIMS. 389 

sublime exclamation o[ the Psalmist, (Ps. Ixii. 5,) " My soul, 
wait thou only upon God ; for my expectation is from him." 

xv. 
Speak not often of your own actions, nor even, when it can 
)e properly avoided, make allusion to yourself, as an agent in 
.ransactions which are calculated to attract notice. We do not 
suppose, as some may be inclined to do, that frequent speaking 
of our actions is necessarily a proof, although it may furnish a 
presumption, of inordinate self-love or vanity ; but it cannot be 
denied that by such a course we expose ourselves to temptations 
and dangers in that direction. It is much safer, and is certainly 
much more profitable, to speak of what has been done for us 
and wrought in us, — to speak, for instance, of ourselves as the 
recipients of the goodness of God, — than to speak of what we 
have ourselves done. But even here, also, although it may 
often be an imperative duty, there is need of deliberation and 
caution. 

XVI. 

There are many persons who would willingly be Christians, 
and eminent Christians too, if Christianity were limited to great 
occasions. For such occasions they call forth whatever pious 
and devotional resources they have, or seem to have, and not 
only place them in the best light, but inspire them, for the time 
being, with the greatest possible efficiency. But on smaller occa- 
sions, in the every-day occurrences and events of life, the reli- 
gious principle is in a state of dormancy; giving no signs of 
effective vitality and movement. The life of such persons is 
not like that of the sun — equable, constant, diffusive, and benefi- 
cent, though attracting but little notice ; but like the erruptive 
and glaring blaze of volcanoes, which comes forth at remote 
periods, in company with great thunderings and shakings of the 
earth ; and yet the heart of the people is not made glad by it. 
Such religion is vain ; and its possessors know not what manner 
of spirit they are of. 

XVII. 

Out of death springs life. We must die naturally, in order 
V.iat we may live spiritually. The beautiful flowers spring up 
from dead seeds ; and from the death of those evil principles, 
that spread so diffusively and darkly over the natural heart, 
springs up the beauty of a new life, the quiet but ravishing 
bloom of Holiness. 

XVIII. 

A strong faith has the power to make a virtual and presen 
33 * 



390 RELIGIOUS MAXIMS. 

reality of (nose things which are in fact future. Be it so thai 
we have not the thing itself in the literal sense of the term ; 
that we have not heaven ; that we have not the visible presence 
of Christ ; that we have not those things, whatsoever they may 
be, which constitute the glory and blessedness of the future 
world. But it is certain that in the Bible we have the promise 
of them ; we have the title-deed, the bond, the mortgage, most 
solemnly made out and delivered to us. All these things are 
therefore ours, if we fully believe in the promise ; and they 
can all be made, in the exercise of entire faith, a virtual and 
present reality. A man reckons his notes, bonds, and bills, 
which are the certificates and confirmations of absent posses- 
sions, as so much property, as actual money, although it is only 
virtually and by faith realized to be such. He counts himself 
as truly and really owning the property, in amount and kind, 
which the face of his papers, of his notes and bonds, represents. 
And yet he has nothing in hand but his papers, and his faith 
in the individuals who have signed them. How much more, 
then, should we have faith in our title-deeds, in our bonds and 
testaments, which are written in the blood of the Son of God, 
are confirmed by the oath of the Father, and are witnessed by 
the Holy Ghost ! And how much more should we, having such 
deeds and bonds, and such immutable confirmations of them, 
count God ours, and Christ and the Holy Spirit ours, and eter 
nal glory ours ! 

XIX. 

It is an excellent saying of the celebrated Fenelon, " It is only 
imperfection that complains of what is imperfect." It would be 
well for those who aim at Christian perfection to remember 
this. Surrounded by those who constantly exhibit defects of 
character and conduct, if we yield to a complaining and impa- 
tient spirit, we shall mar our own peace, without having the sat- 
isfaction of benefiting others. When the mind is in a right 
position, absorbed in God and truly dead to the world, it will not 
be troubled by these things. Or, if it be otherwise, and we are 
in fact afflicted, it will be for others, and not for ourselves ; and 
we shall be more disposed to pity than to complain. 

xx. 
Prayer without faith is vain. A pious English writer, one 
who lived as far back as the days of the Puritans, and who uses 
various homely but instructive illustrations, after the manner of 
those times, calls prayer the " bucket of the soul, by which it 
draws water out of the wells of salvation. But without Faith, 
you may let down this bucket again and again, and never ming 



RELIGIOUS MAXIMS. 391 

up one drop of solid comfort." * It is faith which fills the buck 
et. And accordingly, if our faith be weak, we shall find but 
poor and famishing returns. A full bucket depends on the con- 
dition of a strong faith. 

XXI. 

One of the most important requisites of a holy life is patience. 
And by this, we do not mean merely a meek and quiet temper 
when one is personally assaulted and injured ; but a like meek- 
ness and quietness of temper in relation to the moral and reli- 
gious progress of the world. We may be deeply afflicted in 
view of the desolations of Zion ; but let us ever remember and 
rejoice, that the cause of truth and holiness is lodged safely in 
the hands of God. With him a thousand years are as one day ; 
and in the darkest moments, when Satan seems to be let loose 
with tenfold fury, let us thank God and take courage, because 
the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. 

XXII. 

It may sometimes be practically important to make a distinc- 
tion between a renunciation of the world and a renunciation of 
ourselves. A man may in a certain sense, and to a certain ex- 
tent, renounce the world, and yet may find himself greatly dis- 
appointed in his anticipations of spiritual improvement and ben- 
efit. He has indeed renounced the world, as it presents itself 
to us in its externalities ; he has renounced its outward attractions, 
its perverted and idle shows. He may have carried his re- 
nouncement so far as to seclude himself entirely from society, 
and to spend his days in some solitary desert. But it avails 
nothing, or almost nothing, because there is not at the same time 
an internal renunciation, a crucifixion and renunciation of self. 
A mere crucifixion of the outward world will still leave a vital- 
ity and luxuriance of the selfish principle ; but a crucifixion of 
self necessarily involves the crucifixion, in the Scripture sense, 
of every thing else. 

XXIII. 

It is one among the pious and valuable maxims which are 
ascribed to Francis de Sales, "A judicious silence is always 
better than truth spoken without charity." The very under- 
taking to instruct or censure others, implies an assumption of 
intellectual or moral superiority. It cannot be expected, there- 
fore, that the attempt will be well received, unless it is tempered 
with a heavenly spirit. " Though I speak with the tongues of 

* Symond's Sight and Faith, printed in 1651. 



392 RELIGIOUS MAXIMS. 

men and of angels, and have not charity, \ am become as 
sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." 

XXIV. 

We may be deprived of outward consolations, and still have 
consolations of heart, But this is not all. We may be deprived, 
in the sovereignty of God, and for wise purposes, of inward 
consolations also, and may be left for a time in a state of men- 
tal barrenness and desolation. And yet faith, precious faith, 
discouraging as this state of things may seem, may still remain ; 
and not feebly merely, but in the strength and fulness of its ex- 
ercise. It is still our delightful privilege to say of God, that He 
is our God, our Father, our Friend and Portion. " Blessed is 
the man that trustelh in the Lord." 



No man ever arrived at Christian perfection, no man ever can 
arrive at that ennobling state, who walks by sight rather than by 
faith, of whom it cannot be said, as of the father of the faith- 
ful, " he went out, not knowing whither he ivent." Perhaps we 
may say, it is the highest attainment of the soul, (certainly it is 
the foundation of the highest or perfect state in all other Chris- 
tian attainments,) that of entire and unwavering confidence in 
God. O God, we are thine ; forever thine. We will not let 
thee go, until thou bless us. And when thou dost bless us, 
still we will not let thee go. For without thee, even blessing 
would be turned into cursing. Therefore will we ever trust 
in thee. 

XXVI. 

Always make it a rule to do every thing, which it is proper 
and a duty to do, in the best manner and to the best of your 
ability. An imperfect execution of a thing, where we might 
have done better, is not only unprofitable, but it is a vicious ex- 
ecution ; or, in other words, is morally wrong. He who aims 
it perfection in great things, but is willing to be imperfect in 
ittle things, will find himself essentially an imperfect man. The 
>erfection of the greater will be no compensation, and no excuse, 
Tor the imperfection of the less. Such a person wants the es- 
sential principle of universal obedience. Consider well, there- 
Tore, what God in his providence would have you perform ; and 
f you feel the spirit of those directions, which require us to do 
\\\ things as unto God rather than unto men, you will not do them 
with a false heart or a feeble hand. And thus in small things, 
is well as in great, in those which are unseen as well as in those 
vhich attract notice, it shall be said of you, "Well done, good 
'nd faithful servant!" 



RELIGIOUS MAXIMS. d93 

XXVII. 

A fixed, inflexible will is a great assistance in a holy life. 
Satan will suggest a thousand reasons why we should yield a 
'ittle to the temptations by which we are surrounded ; but let us 
•3ver stand fast in our purpose. A good degree of decision and 
:enacity of purpose is of great importance in the ordinary affairs 
of life. How much more so in the things of religion ! He 
who is easily shaken will find the way of holiness difficult, 
perhaps impracticable. A double-minded man — he who has no 
fixedness of purpose, no energy of will — is " unstable in all his 
ways." Ye who walk in the narrow way, let your resolution 
be unalterable. Think of the blessed Savior. " My God, my 
GJod, why hast thou forsaken me ? " Though he was momen 
iarily forsaken, at least so far as to be left to anguish inconceiv- 
able and unutterable, his heart nevertheless was fixed, and he 
could still say, * My God, my God ! " 

XXVIII. 

We may pray with the intellect without praying with the 
heart ; but we cannot pray with the heart without praying with 
the intellect. Such are the laws of the mind, that there can be 
no such thing as praying without a knowledge of the thing we 
pray for. Let the heart be full, wholly given up to "the pursuii 
of the object ; but let your perception of the object be distinct 
and clear. This will be found honorable to God and beneficial 
to the soul. 

XXIX. 

Many persons think they are seeking holiness, when they are 
in fact seeking the " loaves and fishes." To be holy is to be 
like Christ, who, as the Captain of our salvation, was made per- 
fect through suffering. We must be willing to bear the cross, 
if we would wear the crown. In seeking holiness, therefore, 
let us think little of joy, but much of purity ; little of ourselves, 
but much of God ; little of our own wills, but much of the Di- 
vine will. We will choose the deepest poverty and affliction 
with the will of God, rather than all earthly goods and prosperities ■ 
without it. It is God we seek, and not happiness. If we have 
God, he will not fail to take care of us. If we abide in him, 
even a residence in hell could not harm us. " As the hart 
panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, 
God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God." 

XXX. 

Thou hast contended with Satan, and hast been successful. 
Thou hast fought with him, and he has fled from thee. But, ? 
remember his artifices. Do not indulge the belief that his na- 



394 RELIGIOUS MAXIMS. 

ture is changed. True, indeed, he is now very complacent, and 
is, perhaps, singing thee some syren song ; but he was never 
more a devil than he is now. He now assaults thee, by not as- 
saulting thee ; and knows that he shall conquer, when thou 

FALLEST ASLEEP. 

XXXI. 

The value of a thing is known by what it takes to preserve it, 
as well as by what it originally cost. Men may steal your dia- 
monds, who would not trouble things of less worth. The cost 
of holiness was the bloed of the Son of God ; and greatly does 
he mistake, who supposes it pan be preserved by anything short 

-f VTEBN^L TTT CILANCE. 

XXXII. 

If earthly plants are permitted to spring up in the heart, how 
is it possible that the tree of holiness should nourish ? With the 
ground already occupied with earthly products, the roots of sanc- 
tification, deprived of the nourishment which should sustain 
them, necessarily wither and die. There is not nutriment enough 
to sustain both. Hence it is that our Savior, in his divine 
wisdom, tells us of those who are choked with the riches, and 
cares, and pleasures, of this life, " and bring no fruit to 

PERFECTION." 

XXXIII. 

The power of Satan is great ; and it is his appropriate busi- 
ness continually to assault the saints of God. If,' then, in some 
unhappy and evil moment, (by thine own fault, be it remem- 
bered,) he gains an advantage, lament over it deeply, but do not 
be discouraged. Remember, if the great enemy gets from thee 
thy resolution, thy fixed purpose, he gets all. To be defeated, is 
not to be wholly destroyed. But on the contrary, he, and he 
only, hath victory written upon his forehead, who, in the moment 
of his severest overthrow, hath still the heart to say, " With the 
Lord helping me, I will try again." 

xxxiv. 
It seems to have been the doctrine of some advocates of 
Christian perfection, especially some pious Catholics of former 
times, that the various propensities and affections, and particu- 
larly the bodily appetites, ought to be entirely eradicated. But 
this doctrine, when carried to its full extent, is one of the arti- 
fices of Satan, by which the cause of holiness has been greatly 
injured. It is more difficult to regulate the natural principles 
than to destroy them ; and there is no doubt that the more diffi 
cult duty, in this case, is the scriptural one. We are not required 
to eradicate" our natural propensities and affections, but to purify 



RELIGIOUS MAXIMS. 395 

them. We are not required to cease to be men, but merely to 
become holy men. 

XXXV. 

It is of the nature of holiness to unite with whatever is like 
itself. It flies on eagle's wings to meet its own image. Accord- 
ingly, the soul, so long as it is stained with sin, has an affinity 
with what is sinful. But when it is purified from iniquity, it 
ascends boldly upward, and rests, by the impulse of its own 
being, in the bosom of its God. The element of separation is 
taken away ; and a union, strong as the universe and lasting as 
eternity, necessarily takes place. " He that is joined unto the 
Lord is one spirit" 1 Cor. vi. 17. 

XXXVI. 

It is sometimes the case, that those who are seeking sanctifi- 
cation anticipate results which are more accordant with human 
wisdom than with the ways of divine Providence. They say, 
" Make me clean, and I shall have understanding. Sanctify 
me, and I shall be made strong." Such anticipations, which 
show that the heart is not yet delivered from its worldliness, are 
not confirmed, in the sense in which they now exist in the mind, 
by their subsequent experience. When sanctified, as they are 
thoroughly emptied of self, they have neither wisdom nor 
strength of their own. They know not what to do, nor how to 
do it. They abhor the idea of placing confidence in themselves, 
and find they must apply to the Savior for every thing. They 
derive all from him. In the language of Scripture, he is made 
to them " wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and re- 
demption ; that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, 

LET HIM GLORY IN THE LORD." 

XXXVII. 

It is a melancholy fact, that the religion of many persons is 
not constantly operative, but it is manifested periodically, or at 
some particular times. It is assumed, for instance, on the Sab- 
bath, but is laid aside on the shelf during the week days. But 
true holiness, be it remembered, is not a thing to be worn for 
occasions ; to be put off or put on, with an easy accommodation to 
circumstances or to one's private convenience. It takes too deep 
root in the heart to be so easily disposed of as such a course 
would imply. It is meat, with which we are fed ; clothing, with 
which we are clothed ; the interior and permanent principle of 
life, which animates and sustains the whole man. 

XXXVIII. 

The remark is somewhere made, and very correctly, that " ii 



396 RELIGIOUS MAXIMS. 

is a great loss to lose an affliction" Certain it is that afflictions 
have great power in purifying the mind. And if it be true that 
mental purification — in other words, holiness — is a result of all 
others the most desirable, we may properly attach a great value 
to whatever tends to this result. Prosperities flatter us with the 
hope that our rest is here ; but afflictions lead our thoughts to 
another and better land. " Whom the Lord loveth he chasten- 
eth, and scourgeth every son that he receiveth." 

' xxxix. 
It is a striking remark, ascribed to St. Augustine, that prayer 
is the measure of love — a remark which implies that those 
who love much will pray much, and that those who pray much 
will love much. This remark is not more scripturally than phil- 
osophically true. It is the nature of love to lead the person 
who exercises this passion, as it were, out of himself. His heart 
is continually attracted towards the beloved object. He naturally 
and necessarily exercises, in connection with the object of love, 
the communion of the affections. And this, it will be readily 
seen, — viz., the communion of the affections, — is the essential 
characteristic ; and perhaps it may be said, the essence and sum of 
prayer. In acceptable prayer, the soul goes forth to God in va- 
rious acts of adoration, supplication, and thanksgiving ; all of 
which imply feelings of trust and confidence, and particularly 
love to Him, who is the object of prayer. Accordingly, he who 
loves much cannot help praying much. And on the other hand, s 
when the streams of holy communion with God fail in any con- 
siderable degree, it is a sure sign that there is shallowness and 
drought in that fountain of love from which they have their 
source. 

XL. 

The divine life, which, in every stage of its existence, depends 
upon the presence of the Spirit of God, places a high estimate 
on mental tranquillity. It is no new thing to remark that the 
Holy Spirit has no congeniality with and no pleasure in the soul 
where strife and clamor have taken possession. If, therefore, 
we would have the Holy Spirit with us always, we must avoid 
and flee, with all the intensity of our being, all inordinate covet- 
ing, all envying, malice, and evil speaking, all impatience, jeal- 
ousy, and anger. Of such a heart, and such only, which is 
calm as well as pure, partaking something of the self-collected 
and sublime tranquillity of the Divine Mind, can it be said, in the 
truest and highest sense, tha f it is a temple fitted for the in 
dwelling of the hf»ly ghost. 

end. 



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